The Blue Wizard and the Philosopher's Stone
by CSIalchemist
Summary: Strange things have been happening to Rin and Yukio Okumura for years. When they receive letters from a magical school in Europe, their views of the world are forever changed as they discover that magic and demons are very, very real. Image by DemiGardess.
1. Magic and Demons

**Greetings! Happy New Year!**

 **First of all, to my faithful readers and followers, I HAVE NOT GIVEN UP ON _GOTHUS ANGELUS_! The new chapter is currently under construction. **

**Second, I'm running out of ideas for my Danny Phantom stories so I'm taking a break. No crying!**

 **Lastly, I'm being bold by stepping out of my comfort zone so if you love the _Harry Potter_ series and Blue Exorcist, then please take a moment to read.**

 **KEEP YOUR FLAMES TO YOURSELF! DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Magic and Demons**

Albus Dumbledore wandered the streets of Tokyo searching for a certain monastery in the hopes of catching up with an old friend. He had just finished delivering one-year-old Harry Potter to his only living relatives, the Dursleys. There was only one other person Dumbledore knew who could relate to suddenly receiving the responsibility of taking care of orphaned children.

Dumbledore met Shiro Fujimoto only a few years ago when Voldemort had risen to power. Fujimoto was searching for the cause of the sudden death of a Muggle family in Wales. Members of the Order of the Phoenix were also doing the same. Shiro was skeptical about working together with witches and wizards, especially since the Vatican was against working with said group of people. Turned out that there was a Muggle priest, Reverend Stephen Swain, who was also a member of an order of exorcists that worked within the Vatican and thought allying with the wizarding community would be beneficial to both orders. Dumbledore decided to ally his order with the Vatican's order in order to take down their common enemy: Voldemort. The Vatican (reluctantly) agreed.

Ah! There it was! Dumbledore smiled as he approached Southern Cross Boys' Monastery. One priest was sweeping the front doorstep as Dumbledore approached the church. He looked up and smiled at the new visitor.

"Hello there!" he greeted. "You must be the one Father Fujimoto is expecting."

Dumbledore smiled back. "Indeed I am," he said. "Is he available?"

"I think so. The boys should be getting up from their naps by now," the priest answered.

Those boys were what Dumbledore came to speak with Shiro about. Yuri Egin's twin sons. Dumbledore didn't think it was possible for a young lady to become pregnant with the sons of Satan. If one or both boys possessed satanic powers, Voldemort, who Dumbledore no doubt believed was still alive, would go after them if he learned of their existence. Add the fact that Yuri was, in fact, a witch, they would be very valuable to Voldemort's cause.

A tall, slender man appeared from the house next to the church. In his arms were two boys who looked almost two years old. The man had grey hair with a matching goatee. Glasses sat in front of his unnatural red eyes.

"Albus! Good to see you again!" Father Shiro Fujimoto greeted as one boy with moles on his face reached to tug on his goatee.

"It is always good to see friends again," Dumbledore replied. "Do you need help? You look like you need assistance."

Shiro chuckled and handed Dumbledore the boy with blue hair. The boy looked at Dumbledore curiously before grabbing his half-moon spectacles.

Dumbledore chuckled at the child's antics. "Curious little fellow, is he not?"

Shiro chuckled back. "They're at that age where they have to have their hands on everything," he answered. "Rin loves grabbing my glasses. I'm not surprised he's interested in yours."

"This boy's name is Rin?" Dumbledore asked referring to the boy in his arms.

Shiro nodded. "Yep. That's Rin. And this little guy who refuses to let go of my chin is Yukio," he added as he shifted baby Yukio in his arms.

"Rin and Yukio," Dumbledore murmured. "Did you name them?"

Shiro's smile fell. "No. Their mother named them," he said grimly. He gestured the old wizard to follow him into the house.

The two men set the boys down in the living room (Dumbledore managed to retrieve his spectacles from Rin) before settling onto the couch. One of the priests came in with a tea set and set it on the coffee table.

"So you know what happened to Yuri," Shiro began as he poured himself and his guest some tea.

"Yes. You have my condolences," Dumbledore replied. "I know she was a valuable asset to the Knights of the True Cross."

Shiro grunted. "Thank you. To be honest, she was more curious about demons' motives for coming to Assiah than the rest of us," he said before turning to Dumbledore. "I heard about the Potter family from Swain. Is it true that _he's_ really gone?"

"That is what most believe," Dumbledore answered. "I highly doubt that Voldemort is truly gone. He will return to power, I can assure you. When that will be, I cannot say."

"And the Potter boy? Is it true that he survived?"

"Yes. Voldemort's curse rebounded and it destroyed his body. Harry survived with only a scar."

Shiro smirked before taking a sip of his tea. "You know what they say, 'Chicks dig scars.'"

Dumbledore chuckled as Shiro looked at the twins. "You're thinking that when he returns to power, he'll come after Rin and Yukio," he assumed.

Dumbledore nodded grimly. "Yes. If he learns that they are the sons of Satan, he will no doubt go after them."

Shiro released a sigh. "Only Rin has the blue flames," he revealed.

Dumbledore looked up from his tea he was sipping. "Only one of them has the flames?" he asked to make sure he heard right.

Shiro nodded. "He was covered in them when I found him and his brother. As far as I can tell, Yukio is as human as you and me," he answered.

Rin crawled over to the two men and grabbed part of Dumbledore's beard that dangled from the couch.

"Rin doesn't seem dangerous now," Dumbledore observed. "What happened to the flames?"

"Mephisto sealed Rin's demonic powers away in Kurikara," Shiro answered. "Rin is now a normal human child."

Dumbledore took a sip of his tea as he made a mental note to speak with Mephisto Pheles as soon as possible. "Should he - or anyone, for that matter, draw that sword - Rin will lose his humanity and become a demon again," he assumed.

Shiro looked at the wizard in amazement. "You're really good at that," he said, "guessing the correct outcome of any situation."

Dumbledore chuckled. "You give me too much credit, Shiro. It was only a lucky guess."

"Then you must have a lot of luck," said Shiro. "So what about the Potter kid? What happened to him?"

"I sent him to live with his Muggle relatives in Surry."

Shiro swallowed his tea with an audible gulp. "Was that a good idea? I remember speaking with James and Lily during our mission in Wales. James told me that his wife and her sister did not get along," he recalled.

"That may be true but Lily's sister, Petunia, is the only link Harry has to his mother. The moment she took him into her home, a sort of blood protection was placed upon the house," Dumbledore explained.

"Blood protection?"

Dumbledore nodded. "When Voldemort tried to kill Harry, the curse rebounded as I told you. This is because before that happened, Lily Potter was killed trying to protect her son."

Everything was starting to make sense to Shiro. "A mother's love is an unrivaled force of nature," he realized. "Voldemort doesn't understand love, does he?"

"No, he does not," said Dumbledore. "I'm guessing that Yuri was the same towards her sons as well?"

Shiro nodded. "Her final wish was for them to grow up strong and understanding," he said. "She didn't sacrifice her life to save them like Lily, but she loved them like any mother would love her children."

Yukio suddenly started crying, followed by a foul stench drifting in the air. One whiff and Shiro immediately knew what the baby needed.

"Excuse me, Albus, Yukio needs to be changed," Shiro said as he stood up. "Watch Rin for me." He picked up Yukio and took him into another room.

Albus looked down at the one-year-old who was now interested in playing with the man's robes. The infant looked up at Albus and gave him a big smile.

Albus couldn't help but smile back. "The sins of the father should not be passed down to the child," he murmured to himself. Rin blinked and started gnawing on Albus's robes. The wizard chuckled.

"I'm curious to know what kind of wizard you'd grow up to be," Albus wondered. Perhaps Rin's satanic powers could be used for the good of mankind instead of being condemned of being a monster throughout his life. Knowing that Harry Potter was roughly the same age of the Okumura twins, a plan started to form in Dumbledore's mind.

Shiro walked back in with Yukio in his arms. "All better. Clean as a whistle!" he announced.

Albus picked up Rin and set him in his lap taking note of an odd stain Rin left behind on the hem of his robes. "Glad to hear it," he replied as he bounced Rin on his knee. "Shiro, my friend, I just came up with an idea."

Shiro looked at Albus as he tried to keep Yukio away from his glasses. "What's that?" he asked.

"How would you feel if these boys attended Hogwarts instead of Mahoutokoro?" Albus asked.

Shiro stared at the old wizard for a full minute before answering. "Any particular reason?" he asked.

"Harry Potter is roughly the same age as the twins," Dumbledore reasoned. "It would be beneficial to both our orders if they were friends and allies with each other."

Shiro readily frowned. "You want them to protect the Potter kid while he is at school," he stated.

Dumbledore nodded.

Shiro sighed. "I'm not going to raise the boys to be bodyguards for a kid with a target on his back," he said. "I just got them out of one bad situation. The last thing I'm going to do is put them in another."

Dumbledore nodded. "I understand, but keep in mind that they're the sons of Satan and a witch. Do you think the Japanese Ministry of Magic will let them attend their school for magic if they knew their lineage?"

Shiro frowned. "And what makes you think the British Ministry will be any different?" he challenged.

"The British Ministry of Magic knows about the Knights of the True Cross," Albus answered. "Thanks to your efforts in helping us catch the Death Eaters responsible for the crimes in Wales, the Ministry of Magic is now more aware of the demons that wander the earth. Add the fact that if Rin and Yukio do not receive the proper education to control their magic, it could mean problems for you and your order in the future."

Shiro thought long and hard about this decision. On the one hand, the Japanese Ministry of Magic could easily learn about the twins from the British Ministry. On the other hand, if word of Rin and Yukio's lineage became common knowledge in the wizarding community, then the Vatican would no doubt learn about them and seek to exterminate them.

"I need you to promise me that no one - not even the Minister of Magic - learns about Rin and Yukio's origins," said Shiro. "If the Vatican learned that they were still alive, they'll not only go after them, but me as well. I will not be able to protect them if the Vatican finds out."

Dumbledore nodded. "I will keep this secret. You have my word," he promised.

Shiro smiled. "Great. I'll let Mephisto know first chance I get."

"Does this mean you will allow the twins to attend Hogwarts?"

Shiro stroked his goatee in thought. "Rin is half-demon. He and Yukio are going to need to learn how to defend themselves against demons in the event that the seal on Rin's powers is broken," he stated. "Do you think, perhaps, that you could start a class to defend students against demons?"

"A Demonology class, you mean?" Albus asked.

"Something like that," Shiro answered.

"I will have to speak to the school governors about it as well as the Ministry of Magic," Albus said.

"Get to it then," said Shiro before smiling. "And when you do, you'll have two future new students at your school."

~0~0~0~

Albus Apparated into an office where a tall man with purple hair, wearing a white suit was standing near the window. He turned towards Albus and smiled.

"Well, well, Dumbledore! It's been too long!" the man greeted.

Dumbledore smiled back. "Sir Pheles, always a pleasure," he greeted back.

Mephisto Pheles offered Dumbledore a seat and some tea. "Now what brings you here to Japan? And to True Cross Academy of all places? You know that the Knights of the True Cross may tolerate you magic folks, but that doesn't mean you can come waltzing in here all willy-nilly."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Then again, you've never been fond of playing by the rules, have you?" he playfully retorted.

Mephisto chuckled. "You got me there. Now, how can I help you?" he asked.

Dumbledore got right to the point. "Are you aware that Yuri Egin was, in fact, a witch?" he asked.

"I had an inkling," Mephisto answered. "That and her father found a wand and a few spellbooks in her drawer while cleaning out her desk after her passing."

"Did she have any sort of training in witchcraft?"

"Heavens, no! Imagine what her father would have thought if he found out!" Mephisto exclaimed. "If I had to guess, she probably practiced on her own. Don't ask me if she knew any spells. Even I was in the dark about her magical little secret."

Dumbledore nodded before speaking. "In that case, are you aware that her sons are wizards?" he asked.

Mephisto blinked. "Tell me you're joking," he stated.

"I'm afraid not. If you make note of the hem of my robes, you'll notice something quite off about them," Dumbledore said.

Mephisto looked down at the hem of his friend's robes and sure enough, there was a stain on the hem of Dumbledore's red robes that was constantly changing colors. Judging by the shape of the stain, it looked like someone or something small was chewing on the robes.

"I don't need to be a demon to tell you that that did not come from spilt bleach," said Mephisto. "And even if it did I doubt it would do that. Which twin did that?"

"It was Rin."

Mephisto blinked. "I should have known," he sighed. "The son of Satan not only has his father's powers, but also his mother's magic. Sounds like he'd be an OP character."

"OP?" Dumbledore asked.

"Right, you're not in touch with non-wizard culture. OP stands for overpowered," Mephisto explained. "What about the other twin? Did you sense any magic within him?"

"Since Yuri was a witch and Rin and Yukio's father is..." Albus trailed off before clearing his throat. "I have no doubt that Yukio is also a wizard."

"If that's the case, if the Vatican doesn't find out about the twins, then they'll probably go straight to Mahoutokoro when they're old enough," Mephisto replied.

"Mahoutokoro doesn't teach their students about demons," said Dumbledore.

Mephisto raised an eyebrow. "And Hogwarts does?" he challenged.

"I'm willing to add the subject to the curriculum," Dumbledore replied. If he could add Divination to Hogwarts' curriculum, he could do the same with Demonology. "All you have to do is help me present this case to the Knights of the True Cross, the Vatican, and the Japanese Ministry of Magic."

Mephisto thought long and hard about Dumbledore's proposition before he slyly smiled. "It won't be easy, but I think I can pull a few strings," he answered.

Albus smiled. "Wonderful! I expect good news in the near future then," he beamed. He stood up and prepared to leave.

"Not so fast," said Mephisto. "You still have to pay your 'visitor's fee.'"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Of course. I nearly forgot."

He pulled out a small bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from his pocket and gave it to Mephisto.

The demon beamed as he opened the bag of magic jelly beans. "I cannot get enough of these candies!" he exclaimed. "It's like a surprise in every bean." He popped a bean into his mouth and grimaced at the taste. "Mustard! Blergh!"

As soon as Mephisto recovered, he picked up his umbrella and pointed it at Dumbledore. "Ein, zwei, drei!" he chanted. A small bag filled with konpeito (star candy) appeared in Dumbledore's hands. "I know you're fond of those lemon drop candies, but I figured you needed a taste of Japan for a change."

Albus smiled at the demon. "Thank you, Sir Pheles. I will see you soon. We still have much to discuss."

Mephisto smiled back. "Looking forward to it," he replied.

At that, the wizard Apparated out of the office.

~0~0~0~

Albus walked into his office by nightfall. He did not waste any time. He strode to his Pensieve and put his wand to his temple. Slowly extracting a wispy thread from his head, he pointed his wand to the basin where the memory mixed with the other important memories.

As he saw the memory of baby Harry Potter sleeping on his relatives' front door step where he last saw the child, the memory of the Okumura twins swam by. Something became clear to Albus.

"His destiny will cross with theirs," he said to himself before leaving to prepare for bed.

* * *

 **So, this is my first non-Danny Phantom fanfic. How did I do? I'm hope the characters' personalities are close to the characters.**

 **Please review!**


	2. Strange Things

**I'm glad some people like this. I want people to love and appreciate the different stories I'll one day write.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Strange Things**

"When do you think Dad will be done with Sunday services?" eleven-year-old Rin Okumura asked his fraternal twin brother, Yukio.

"People should be getting out by the time we get back," answered Yukio as they walked to the supermarket. Both boys were tasked with buying the groceries while their adoptive father did Sunday services.

"Should we buy cat food for Kuro?" Rin asked.

"Uh, I don't know," Yukio answered. "Dad gave him some silvervine sake and he liked it. I don't know if Kuro will eat cat food."

"Well, we won't know until we give him some," said Rin. "I can't believe you guys found him at an old construction site. What was he doing there anyway?"

"Kuro was...uh… living in an old abandoned temple," Yukio answered as honestly as he could. Father Fujimoto specifically told him not to tell Rin about their… hobbies.

"Well, well, if it isn't the demon boy and his four-eyed sidekick," a nasally voice taunted. The owner of the voice appeared from around the corner. Rin immediately scowled at the boy who taunted him and his brother. The kid had very pale purple hair and two boys tailed him, like bodyguards.

"Drop dead, Reiji!" Rin barked. "My brother and I have better things to do than look at your ugly face!"

The boy, Reiji Shiratori, smiled sadistically. "Aww… but I wanted to play with you guys. Maybe your wimpy brother might want to play with us instead."

Yukio immediately grabbed Rin's shoulder to stop him from beating up Reiji. The last thing their dad needed to worry about was Rin getting into yet another fight. He already had a tooth knocked out and four of his fingers had Band-aids on them from all of the fights.

Reiji walked towards the twins, ready to beat them up and steal their grocery money. He was less than a yard away when he suddenly sank into the concrete of the sidewalk up to his waist.

"What the-?!" Reiji exclaimed.

"HUH?!" Rin and Yukio exclaimed simultaneously.

"What the hell is this? I'm stuck!" Reiji cried as he tried to get himself out of the sidewalk. His two sidekicks tried to help him.

"Hang on, boss!" one bully exclaimed as he and the other bully grabbed each of Reiji's arms and pulled.

Rin, seeing an opportunity, grabbed Yukio's sleeve. "Let's get out of here!" he exclaimed.

Both boys ran past Reiji and his crew as fast as they could. They didn't stop until they made it to the supermarket.

"We...made it," Rin gasped.

"Y-yeah," Yukio replied. "Do you think he'll be alright?"

"Who cares? What was _that_ all about?" Rin asked as they entered the supermarket. He grabbed a hand basket as Yukio took out the shopping list.

"I don't know," Yukio answered. "How many times is that now?"

"This month? I think it's three," Rin answered as he put daikon radishes in the basket. "There was that time when I had to help weed the yard and every dandelion I picked turned into a daisy. Then there was that time you got stuck on top of a telephone pole and I had to call the fire department to get you down."

"I still don't understand how I got up there," said Yukio, inspecting the expiration date of a carton of milk. "One moment I was running from Reiji and his crew, the next moment I'm at the top of a random telephone pole. I don't even remember climbing it."

Rin suddenly brightened as they walked into the frozen foods section. "Maybe we're getting superpowers! Then we can be superheroes!" he said excitedly.

Yukio sweatdropped. "I've never heard of a superhero who could turn a dandelion into a daisy," he said nervously. "Don't forget to buy cat food for Kuro. Maybe we should buy tuna as well in case he doesn't like cat food."

The two boys exchanged theories about the strange things that have been happening to them for the rest of their trip in the grocery store. As they were walking home (using a different route than the one they used to avoid Reiji who was no doubt still stuck in the sidewalk) Rin noticed something quite out of the ordinary in the trees.

"Yukio! Look! An owl!" Rin exclaimed excitedly.

Yukio looked where Rin was pointing and saw a barn owl sitting in a tree looking down at them. This confused the boy as owls were nocturnal birds. Why was there an owl out and about in the middle of the day?

"It's so cool!" said Rin.

"Stay away from it," Yukio warned. "If a nocturnal animal is seen during the daytime, there's probably something wrong with it. It could be sick."

The owl blinked several times and ruffled its feathers, as if it felt insulted at what Yukio said. Rin looked at his brother.

"If something's wrong with it, shouldn't we try to help it?" Rin innocently asked.

Yukio frowned. "Are you crazy?! Don't you know how sharp an owl's talons are? I thought they were your favorite animal."

"That's why I want to help it," Rin reasoned.

Too late. The owl took off.

"Aww… I wanted to help the owl," Rin whined.

"It can't be helped," said Yukio. "Let's hope it's going to be okay."

Rin pouted as they started walking. "Fine."

~0~0~0~

"How was your trip to the supermarket?" asked Shiro as the boys were putting their groceries.

"It was alright," Yukio answered.

"Another weird thing happened to us," Rin said at the same time.

Shiro blinked at their answers. "Another weird thing? What happened this time?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Reiji Shiratori sank into the sidewalk," said Rin. "The concrete wasn't even wet."

"It was like he was stuck in mud," added Yukio.

Shiro grabbed his chin in thought. "These things are becoming more and more frequent, don't you think?"

"I know!" Rin exclaimed. "Remember what happened last month?"

"The Sanitation Department is still trying to figure out how that pipe burst," Shiro muttered. "Luckily Mrs. Tsukimo finally washed all of the raw sewage off her house."

 _TAP-TAP-TAPPITY-TAP-TAP_

The three looked around to find the source of the tapping. Shiro then laid eyes on the kitchen window. "Is that an owl?" he asked.

"An owl?!" Yukio and Rin exclaimed. Both boys ran towards the window Shiro was looking out of and saw the same barn owl they saw earlier.

"That's the same owl we saw earlier!" Rin exclaimed excitedly.

"Did it follow us?" Yukio asked.

"You two have seen this bird before?" Shiro asked. Both boys nodded as they continued to watch the predatory bird in awe. Shiro looked at the owl again.

"Looks like it's carrying something," he noted. "Shall we let him in?"

"Yeah!" Rin said excitedly.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Yukio asked nervously. "What if it attacks us?"

Shiro laughed as he unlocked the window. "Come on! How bad can he be?" he asked. The owl flew in and dropped two envelopes on the counter. It then landed on the back of a nearby chair.

Shiro picked up the envelopes and looked at them. "They're for you guys," he said. He gave Rin and Yukio the envelopes. Rin's eyes widened at looking at how his letter was addressed to him.

 _Mr. R. Okumura_

 _Second Floor Bedroom_

 _Southern Cross Boys' Monastery_

 _Tokyo,_

 _Japan_

"The hell is this?!" Rin cried.

"How do they know where we live, let alone _sleep_? What is this?!" Yukio asked exasperatedly.

"Why don't you open your letters and find out?" Shiro replied.

Both boys opened their letters and read its contents.

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

 _Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

 _Dear Mr. Okumura,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

The twins stared at the letters in their hands. What. The. Hell?!

"The heck is this?" Rin asked exasperatedly.

"A school for witches and wizards?!" Yukio cried.

Shiro took Yukio's letter and read it for himself.

"'Bout time you got these," he murmured.

Both boys looked up at hearing this.

"You mean you were expecting these?" asked Rin.

"Are you saying that there are such things as witches and wizards?" asked Yukio.

Shiro nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying," he answered. "And you two are wizards."

Rin and Yukio's jaws dropped. They were wizards? Was that why so many strange things kept happening to them? What did that mean? Were their biological parents magical too?

"I find that hard to believe that magic exists," said Yukio.

"Yeah," Rin agreed. "Next thing you'll tell us is that the Easter Bunny is real too."

"I'm telling you that magic really exists," Shiro insisted. "How else can you explain the strange things that have been happening to you two?"

Rin was at a loss for words. Yukio was trying in vain to think of an explanation to Shiro's question but came up empty.

"Why don't you reply, saying that you two accept and I'll show you proof?" Shiro offered.

Rin and Yukio looked at each other, shrugged, and ran off to find paper and something to write with. Shiro, meanwhile, went into the church and walked behind the altar where a trapdoor was hidden. He opened the trapdoor and descended down the steps. He took out a key from around his neck and unlocked the shelf that stood alone in the cellar. Inside was a long carrying case covered in seals. Shiro opened a drawer underneath the case and withdrew a sack with a drawstring. He closed the drawer and looked at the case. One of the seals' corners had the tiniest scorch mark on it.

~0~0~0~

Shiro returned to the kitchen where Rin and Yukio were sitting at the kitchen table. Both were trying to figure out how to attach their reply letters to the owl.

"Aren't you two going to give your letters to the owl?" asked Shiro.

"Well, it's just that…" Yukio started nervously.

"We're afraid of going near it," Rin finished bluntly. "Owls are predators. He's sure to peck us."

The owl ruffled his feathers again. Once again, it seemed that one of the twins' words offended him.

Shiro sighed and took the envelopes and gave it to the owl. "Make sure either Albus or Minerva get these," he told the owl. The bird blinked and flew out the window.

The twins stared at their father in awe. How did he do that?

"How were you not scared of the owl?" Rin asked in amazement.

Shiro chuckled. "He's trained to do this kind of stuff," he explained.

"How do you know that?" asked Yukio.

Shiro sighed. "Boys, I've known about the magical world for several years now."

* * *

 **Let's make one thing clear: no reviews equals no updates! If I don't get more reviews soon, I'm gonna take this story down forever!**


	3. How It All Began

**Hello! Thank you so much for all of the reviews. I really appreciate them! Here's a little flashback to how Shiro met Dumbledore and the magical world.  
**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **How It All Began**

 _Father Shiro Fujimoto wandered the ruins of an abandoned warehouse, trying to find whoever or whatever was killing the locals in a nearby town in Wales. Multiple witnesses told different stories but there was always one common denominator: green light was seen at the scene of each crime followed by plumes of black smoke shooting into the sky like rockets. Most would dismiss the stories as a means to receive attention but since it had been happening more frequently in the past year the Knights of the True Cross decided to investigate._

 _Shiro approached the spot where the latest bodies were found, coal tars still occasionally hovering over it. He remembered seeing their faces at the local morgue. Both of them died with looks of pure terror forever sculpted onto their faces. The medical examiner was stumped as to what killed them. No signs of trauma, poison, drugs, or natural causes of any kind. That alone should have been enough to summon an exorcist from the Vatican sooner._

 _The sound of a door opening alerted Shiro that someone was coming so he ducked behind some nearby crates and waited._

" _He couldn't have gotten too far," an old gruff voice said. "There better be something useful in this dump if we want to catch him before the trail goes cold."_

" _What makes you think we'll find something here, Mad-Eye?" asked a young man's voice._

" _What have I always said?"_

"' _Constant vigilance,'" the young man and a young woman's voices answered._

" _That's how I've stayed alive for this long," the voice called Mad-Eye remarked._

 _More footsteps echoed through the building. It was clear that whoever was here was here for the same reason as Shiro was. Whether they were trustworthy or not was still up in the air._

" _Remus, look," said the woman's voice. "Do you see those bugs gathering in that one spot?"_

" _Yes, I do," the one called Remus answered. "I've never seen them before in my life. They don't look like a threat though."_

" _And I thought I've seen it all," Mad-Eye muttered._

 _Suddenly, there was movement coming from the far corner of the warehouse. Shiro peeked out from his hiding place and saw a frightening sight. Three ghouls were staggering towards three people, who were very much alive. A young woman with red hair and almond-shaped green eyes, a young man wearing shabby robes and had what looked like scratch marks across his face, and a much older man who had a peg leg, an eye with a mind of its own, and missing part of his nose._

" _Bloody hell!" Remus exclaimed._

" _Merlin's Beard!" Mad-Eye exclaimed in shock. "The bloody hell are these things?"_

"Incendio _!" the woman chanted. Shiro was astounded that fire erupted from a stick the woman was carrying. The ghouls shrieked in agony as their bodies were set on fire but soon continued staggering towards the trio._

" _Let me try," said Mad-Eye. "_ Stupefy _!" A bright light shot out of Mad-Eye's stick, hitting one of the ghouls. To everyone's surprise, it did not affect it._

" _Bloody hell!" Mad-Eye swore._

" _What do we do?" Remus asked as he fired several different lights from his stick._

 _Shiro, knowing that these ghouls were actually demons, pulled out a holy water grenade. He rolled it across the floor where it exploded in front of the three strangers and demons._

 _The ghouls shrieked in agony as they fell to their knees. Shiro stood up from his hiding place, pulled out his rifle that was slung over his back, and shot all three ghouls in-between the eyes. They all dropped dead._

 _The three strangers, dripping wet from the holy water grenade, stared in shock at Shiro._

" _You guys alright?" he asked._

 _The woman, who Shiro noted looked fresh out of high school, snapped out of her stupor first and answered, "Yes, sir. Thank you."_

" _How the bloody hell did you know how to stop those monsters?" asked Remus._

" _I've never heard of a grenade that was loaded with water," the young woman remarked._

" _This is water, right?" Mad-Eye piped up. His crazy eye, Shiro noted, was looking in every direction, as if it was checking to make sure there were no other threats nearby._

" _Yes, that was water in that grenade," Shiro answered as he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. "Holy water to be precise. It was the only way to kill those demons."_

 _Mad-Eye laughed out loud. "Demons? Whatever those things were, they were not demons."_

 _Shiro released a puff of smoke. "You guys clearly don't know a demon when you see one," he said._

" _So what were those things exactly?" asked the woman._

" _Those were ghouls," Shiro answered._

" _Rubbish," Remus denied. "I've seen ghouls before and those were not ghouls."_

 _Shiro sighed as he released another puff of smoke. "I don't know what your definition of a ghoul is, but believe me when I say that those things were ghouls."_

" _Ghouls are typically creatures that resemble buck-toothed ogres," the woman explained._

" _Ghouls for me are dead bodies possessed by demons," Shiro said._

" _Alright!" Mad-Eye intervened. "Before we start swapping secrets, I think we need to swap names and alliances first. What's your name, Muggle?"_

 _Shiro tilted his head. "I beg your pardon? I'm a what now?"_

 _The woman stepped in. "He means you have no magical powers," she explained. "My name is Lily Potter and this is my friend, Remus Lupin."_

 _Shiro stepped forward and shook both their hands. "Shiro Fujimoto, Paladin of the Knights of the True Cross." He then turned to Mad-Eye. "What about you, gramps? Gonna introduce yourself?"_

 _Mad-Eye's eye swiveled in Shiro's direction. "Alastor Moody if you must know," he grumbled. "We're part of the Order of the Phoenix. Never heard of the True Cross."_

 _Shiro shrugged nonchalantly. "Not surprised. The way you handled those ghouls clearly showed that you guys aren't exorcists."_

 _Moody tried to get closer to Shiro to possibly thrash him with his cane but was held back by Remus. "What are you saying? That I couldn't handle myself around those foul beasts?!" he roared as Remus struggled to hold the older man back._

 _Shiro smirked. "That's exactly what I'm saying," he answered knowing he was getting a rise out of the stranger._

 _Moody struggled even more to escape from Remus's grasp._

" _Calm down, Moody!" Remus pleaded. "He's only messing with you. We all know you could have handled yourself against those creatures. So please calm down!"_

 _Shiro snickered. "I doubt he could," he muttered. That only got Moody going again._

 _Lily glared at Shiro. "If you are done insulting our friend, perhaps you could explain what those 'ghouls' actually were."_

" _Perhaps we should take him to Dumbledore, Lily," Remus suggested as he loosened his grip on Moody, who was starting to calm down. "Shiro obviously knows what these creatures are. Maybe he can help us."_

 _Lily looked at the three men before nodding._

~0~0~0~

 _The four adults Apparated in front of an old townhouse (Shiro was rather green in the face as he had to be a side-along). They had to guide Shiro to the entrance since he could not see it._

 _Shiro was rather shaken at what he saw when he entered the strange house. For starters, one of the portraits screamed at him for being a Muggle. Remus fixed this problem by promptly flipping the portrait backwards with a flick of his wand. The interior was old and dusty, the wallpaper was peeling, and the rugs looked like they'd never been near a vacuum cleaner since it was invented (if at all)._

" _Moony!" a tall well-built young man greeted. Both men embraced with a pat on the other's back before facing the others. "Lily, James is waiting for you in the drawing room. Moody, who is this?"_

 _Mad-Eye shoved Shiro forward as Lily went further into the house with Remus following. "He has information for us. There's been… a new development."_

 _Shiro put out his hand. "Shiro Fujimoto," he introduced. "Paladin of the Knights of the True Cross."_

 _The young man shook his hand. "Sirius Black. Charmed," he answered. "I've never heard of the Knights of the True Cross."_

" _It's a worldwide order. Let's just say that your people and mine wouldn't get along."_

" _Where's Dumbledore?" Moody piped up. "He needs to talk to this Muggle."_

 _Sirius's eyes shot up. "You're a Muggle?"_

 _Shiro shrugged. "Apparently. I didn't know what a Muggle was until a while ago."_

 _Sirius looked at Moody. "You realize that this could compromise the Order, right, Moody?" he asked seriously._

" _If you've seen what we saw, you'd want Dumbledore to know too!" Moody exclaimed, leaving no room for argument._

 _The two men lead Shiro into the drawing room of the townhouse where several people were waiting for them. Shiro saw Lily and Remus speaking with a young man with glasses and messy black hair, which Shiro assumed was James. A long bearded man sitting in a rather large chair stood out from the others. Shiro thought he looked like a cross between Merlin and Gandalf._

" _Alastor, you have returned. Who is this?" the man asked._

 _Moody shoved Shiro forward. "Says he's from an order called Knights of the True Cross, whatever that is," he informed._

 _Shiro sneered at the crazy-eyed old man before shaking hands with the bearded man in front of him. "Shiro Fujimoto."_

" _Albus Dumbledore."_

" _So you're this 'Dumbledore' guy these people have been talking about. You don't keep very good company if Crazy-Eye here treats all of your guests like this," said Shiro._

" _What'd you say?!" Moody cried._

 _Dumbledore chuckled. "You'll have to forgive Alastor. He takes his job quite seriously," he explained._

" _A little too seriously," Shiro muttered. "Paranoid old goat."_

 _Moody pointed his wand at Shiro's face. "You're walking on thin ice!"_

" _Oooo… Struck a nerve, did I?"_

" _I'll strike one of your nerves if you don't shut it!"_

" _Enough," said Dumbledore. Both men sneered at each other before breaking eye contact._

" _I must admit, I was not expecting a Muggle to be caught up in our affairs," said Dumbledore._

" _I was not expecting you guys to fight demons without knowing what they are," Shiro replied._

 _Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Demons?"_

 _Shiro gave Dumbledore a deadpanned look. "I can't be the only one here who knows what demons are," he said._

" _Besides the fact that they are biblical monsters, I'm afraid I do not know much about them," Dumbledore answered._

" _They're more real than you think," Shiro assured him._

 _Remus suddenly spoke up. "We saw him fight them, Dumbledore. He said that they were demons but they looked more like undead ghouls."_

" _That's because they were ghouls," Shiro explained as he rolled his eyes. "Where I'm typically stationed, they usually appear in the form of undead animals. Here, they can possess dead people."_

" _And where are you from, my friend?" asked Dumbledore._

" _Japan."_

" _Ah, that makes sense," Dumbledore said. "Japan's most common method of burial is cremation if I'm not mistaken. Possessing a human corpse would be quite uncommon there."_

 _Shiro raised his hands in relief. "Finally! Someone who gets it!" he exclaimed._

" _I must also ask why you interfered with our Order," said Dumbledore. "While I am grateful you saved our members from these creatures, you could have been in danger if Voldemort's followers crossed paths with you."_

 _Everyone in the room, except Shiro, shuddered at the mentioning of Voldemort's name. Shiro thought that it was just a stupid name._

" _I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?" asked Shiro. "Who or what is Voldemort? I didn't know I was 'interfering' with anything. I was sent to Wales to investigate the strange deaths that have been occurring. My order received reports of green light and black smoke in one of the small towns and they sent me to look into it. I didn't know about you guys until tonight."_

" _Then we have a lot to talk about," said Dumbledore._

* * *

 **And now I will answer some reviews!**

 **Trashy boy: Rin will not awaken his powers during his first year. However, there will be a lot of blue flames that no one can really explain.**

 **DemiGardess: I'm glad you like this. No one has written a story about the twins going to Hogwarts as students so I'm giving it a go.**


	4. Magic is Real

**I had so much fun writing this chapter! I had to do a lot of digging and researching on _Pottermore_ , the Harry Potter wiki, and the Blue Exorcist wiki. Plus, I've been reading the manga lately and it's getting really juicy!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Magic is Real**

"So that's how you learned about magic?" asked Yukio.

"Yep," Shiro answered. "The people I worked for were skeptical for the longest time."

"So demons really do exist?" asked Rin.

"That is correct, Rin, and so does magic. You two will be learning how to use it when you go to Hogwarts this fall," said Shiro.

Rin stood up from his spot at the kitchen table. "But you still haven't proven that magic exists!"

Shiro pulled out a pouch with a drawstring. "Pack some overnight bags then meet me in the living room. I'll show you proof then."

When the boys ran off to pack their things, Shiro did the same. He also had to let the other priests know that he would be gone for a few weeks.

~0~0~0~

"Dad? Why are you lighting the fireplace?" asked Rin. "I thought you were gonna show us magic."

"Besides, I thought you couldn't cast spells," Yukio added. "Those Order of the Phoenix guys said you were a 'Muggle.' That means you can't do magic, right?"

"You are correct, Yukio," Shiro said. "I can't use magic but that doesn't mean I can't use magical products."

"What do you mean?"

Shiro stood up and removed the pouch from his belt. "There's a powder in this bag called Floo Powder that can take you to any fireplace. All you have to do is grab a handful of this powder, throw it into the fire and it will turn green, step into the fire, say where you want to go, and _whoosh_! You're there," he explained.

The twins blanched at the explanation. _They had to_ _step into fire_?! That was dangerous and stupid no matter how they looked at it. What if they got burned? What if it didn't work? How would they explain that to a firefighter or a doctor?

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Rin yelled. "I'm not gonna go into a burning fireplace! I'll get barbecued!"

"Rin's right!" Yukio agreed. "Why can't we just teleport like you did in the story?"

"Dad's not magical, remember? He can't do it," Rin reminded his brother. "Someone had to grab him in order for him to teleport."

"Why don't I toss some into the fire and you can see for yourselves?" Shiro suggested. He opened the pouch, scooped up a handful of emerald green powder, and threw it into the fireplace. The flames grew in size and immediately turned green. The twins jumped back at little.

"So, who wants to go first?" asked Shiro. He put his hand over the flames, showing the twins that the fire was harmless.

Rin stared at the flames for what seemed like a long time. It seemed dangerous, crazy even. But his father hadn't let him down before so why would he start now? He stepped forward, praying that he wouldn't regret this.

"I - I'll go first!" Rin exclaimed rather nervously.

"Atta boy, Rin!" Shiro praised. "Now the place you need to go is called Diagon Alley. Say it with me."

"Diagon Alley," the twins repeated.

"Very good. Alright, Rin, are you ready?" asked Shiro.

Rin picked up his overnight bag and nodded. He cautiously walked into the fireplace and to his surprise, the fire wasn't burning him. In fact, it was like a space heater was blowing in his face.

"Make sure you say it clearly," Shiro reminded the boy.

Rin cleared his throat. "DIAGON ALLEY!" he shouted. The next thing he knew, he was sucked into what he thought was the drain in the bathtub. He felt himself spinning very fast, like a faster version of the spinning teacups at the amusement park. Rin tried to keep his eyes open but the whirling made him feel sick. Then it felt like cold hands were slapping his face. He only managed to get glimpses of other fireplaces that he passed. When he felt like he was slowing down a little...

 _PLOP! CRASH!_

Rin felt himself land on the ground so suddenly that his legs gave out and he somersaulted himself out of a fireplace and into some furniture. He coughed as he tried to get his lungs full of air and wiped his eyes to get the soot out. When his vision cleared, he saw that he was no longer in his living room. Instead, he was in a dingy yet warm pub. People in robes and cloaks glanced at him before returning to their meals and drinks. Rin saw out a window that it was dark outside.

A crash from the fireplace announced Yukio's arrival. He was covered in soot and ash and he was rather disoriented and swirly-eyed. Shiro followed soon after. Both of them were missing their glasses.

"God, I hate traveling like that," Shiro muttered.

Rin ran over to them. "Are you guys okay?"

Shiro took out his glasses and put them on. "Besides wanting to take a shower after that experience, I'm fine," he answered. He then handed Yukio's glasses to him. "Yukio? Are you okay?"

"Uuuggghh…" Yukio groaned. "I need to sit down."

"Shiro Fujimoto, is that you?" a voice called out.

The three turned and saw a rather old man who was rather bald. Shiro smiled.

"Long time, no see, Tom!"

"Are those boys yours?" asked the man called Tom. "Don't strike me as the parental type."

Shiro laughed. "I'm full of surprises," he replied. "Is the bank still open? Gotta make an exchange."

Tom eyed the twins before looking back at Shiro. "Hogwarts supplies?" he guessed. Shiro nodded. "Gringotts closes in an hour."

Shiro nodded again. "The boys just got their letters today. Thought I'd get their stuff now before waiting till the last minute," he explained.

Tom looked at the twins, giving them a really toothy grin. "Congratulations, boys. I wish you good luck at Hogwarts."

"Uh, thanks," Rin answered nervously.

"You think you can let us into the alley, Tom? Can't really get in myself," Shiro requested.

Tom gestured them to follow him. The group went through the back door and found themselves in a small, walled courtyard. Tom whipped out his wand and tapped the bricks on the wall in a certain pattern.

Rin and Yukio stared in awe as the bricks started moving and shifting on their own until a passageway appeared.

"Whoa! That was amazing!" Rin exclaimed.

"How did you do that?" asked Yukio.

Tom chuckled as he put his wand away. "I'll teach you as soon as you two get your own wands. How about that?" he offered.

Both boys nodded and followed their father into Diagon Alley.

"This place hasn't changed a bit since the last time I visited," Shiro muttered. "These people really need to enter the present."

"Look at this place!" Yukio cried. "I've never seen shops like these back home!"

"We'll explore all of these shops in the morning," Shiro assured them.

"Awww…" Rin groaned.

Shiro chuckled. "Relax. We'll be exploring the bank today," he assured.

"What was the name of the bank again?" asked Rin.

"I think Tom said it was called Gringotts," Yukio answered.

"That is correct," Shiro confirmed as they walked up to a white marble building. They entered the building and it was filled with short, pointy-eared men.

"What are those guys?" asked Rin.

"Those are goblins," Shiro explained.

"I thought goblins were demons," Yukio said.

"Those are goblin _demons_ ," Shiro explained. "To avoid confusion, everyone at the place where I worked called goblin demons hobgoblins."

The trio walked up to the front desk where a goblin stopped what he was doing and stared down at them.

"May I help you?" he growled.

"We're here to make an exchange," Shiro explained. "Muggle money for wizard money."

The goblin narrowed his eyes. "What kind of Muggle money are you exchanging?" he asked.

"Yen, Japanese money," Shiro answered. He took out several wads of yen. Rin couldn't tell, but it looked like a couple thousand yen.

The goblin took the money and started counting at a breakneck speed. He then wrote down a number on a piece of parchment.

"Griphook!" the goblin called. Another goblin got up from his desk and walked up to the first goblin. "Withdraw this much for our guests here from the foreign exchange vault."

The goblin called Griphook looked at the number written on the parchment before looking at Shiro and the kids. "Very well," he said. "Follow me."

The goblin guided the three to one of the many doors behind the front desk. They entered it and found themselves in a dark passageway. It sloped steeply and ended with what appeared to be a small railway line. Shiro guided the twins into the cart. As soon as Griphook entered the cart it sped off into the tunnel. To Rin, it felt like he was riding a roller coaster. Yukio, however, was green in the face. Shiro, who was unaffected by the ride, rubbed his back until he felt better.

Griphook unlocked a very large door. Rin's eyes widened when he saw the mountains of gold, silver, and bronze coins.

"The gold coins are called Galleons," Griphook explained. "Seventeen Sickles makes a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle." He then counted out coins incredibly fast and put them into small leather bags.

"200 Galleons, ten Sickles, and twenty-five Knuts," Griphook explained when he was done. He handed Shiro three small bags. He then guided them out of the vault and back to the carts. They rode back to the ground floor (Yukio had to stop at a nearby garbage can at someone's desk to throw up).

"Have a good evening, sir," said Griphook.

Shiro nodded and herded the twins out of the building.

"Well, we might as well book a room at the Leaky Cauldron and do our shopping tomorrow," said Shiro.

~0~0~0~

Rin and Yukio were pretty tired the following morning due to their jetlag. How Shiro didn't look sleepy at the sudden change in time zones was beyond them. They all had bowls of porridge and bacon for breakfast (which Rin thought was bland and tasteless according to his culinary taste buds).

Despite how tired they were, however, Rin and Yukio were really excited about exploring Diagon Alley. As soon as they entered the alley, the boys were hopping from one shop to the next, staring into the shop windows in awe.

"What kind of toad is that?" Yukio asked as they checked out a shop called the Magical Menagerie. The toad that Yukio spoke of was large, purple, and covered in warts.

"Doesn't look like any toad I've seen in your nature books," Rin noted.

"Good thing you two won't be needing an animal because you'll be taking Kuro with you to Hogwarts," said Shiro.

"Yay!" the boys cheered. They only had Kuro for a few days and, like many children their age upon receiving a new pet, they loved him.

"Now, how about we go get your robes?"

The group walked into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to buy the boys' school uniforms ("These aren't robes. They're dresses!" exclaimed Rin) as well as dragon hide gloves, both of which were on their school shopping list.

They also went to several other shops to buy their school supplies, including Flourish and Blotts bookshop. Rin and Yukio were fascinated that there were so many books of literally different shapes and sizes (the writing in one book was so small, no amount of squinting made it legible). Rin was disappointed that the shop did not sell manga or any kind of comic book.

After a lunch break and several more stops to more shops, the trio only had one last thing left to buy: a wand. Rin was particularly excited about getting his own wand. He wanted to be able to do so many cool things wizards could do like in books and movies.

They walked up to a shop called Ollivanders. Yukio was amazed at what the sign said: _Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C._

Shiro guided the kids into the shop. Inside was dusty, narrow, and shabby. Rin wiped his nose. Even the attic at home wasn't as dusty as this place. Yukio went up to the front desk and rang the bell.

"Hello?" Yukio called. "Is anyone here?"

A man with silvery white eyes with matching white hair rode on a rolling ladder to the front desk.

"May I help you?" he asked.

Shiro stepped forward. "You Ollivander?" he asked.

"Yes," the man confirmed, walking up to the group and shaking Shiro's hand. "Garrick Ollivander at your service. I do not believe we have met, sir."

"Name's Shiro Fujimoto. I'm here to buy my boys their wands for Hogwarts," Shiro explained. "This is Rin and Yukio Okumura."

Mr. Ollivander smiled. "So you're Shiro Fujimoto. We meet at last," he stated.

Shiro lifted an eyebrow. "You've heard of me?" he asked.

"Dumbledore has told me several stories about you. You may not know it, but you've made quite a name for yourself throughout the wizarding community," Ollivander replied.

Shiro rolled his eyes. "Great. I'm a celebrity," he grumbled.

"I didn't know you were so famous here, Dad," Rin remarked.

Ollivander chuckled. "One of the few Muggles in existence to keep his memories of the magical world other than the parents of Muggleborn and half-blood witches and wizards. We are very grateful for his help."

"What did he do that made him so famous?" asked Yukio.

Ollivander was about to answer when he saw Shiro gesture him to be silent.

"That is a story for another day," he answered. "With that said, let us find your wand. Who would like to go first?"

"Me! Me!" Rin and Yukio cried out excitedly.

"Yukio, you can go first," Shiro decided.

Rin pouted. "No fair," he grumbled.

"You went first with the Floo Powder. It's Yukio's turn to go first," Shiro reasoned.

Ollivander walked around the front desk with a tape measure in his hand. "Which hand is your wand hand?" he asked.

"My...uh, what?" asked Yukio.

"I think he means your writing hand," said Shiro.

"Uh… I use both my hands."

"Ambidextrous, are you?" asked Ollivander. Yukio nodded. Ollivander smiled. "Wonderful! This makes it more of a challenge! Stretch out both your arms."

Yukio did so and the tape measure started measuring him at the oddest angles all on its own. From his middle finger to his shoulder, from his feet to his armpit.

"That will be enough," Ollivander said as he walked back to the shelves behind the counter. The tape measure fell to the floor in a tangled heap. The man returned, carrying a box with a rather short wand. "Try this one, Mr. Okumura. Oak, dragon heartstring, eight inches, stiff."

Yukio carefully picked up the wand from the box.

"Go on. Give it a wave," Ollivander encouraged.

Yukio did so, only for the window to receive a spiderweb-shaped crack. The boy flinched and Ollivander snatched the wand from him before he could even apologize. "No, no, that won't do," he muttered. He placed the discarded wand on a nearby stool and went to retrieve another wand.

"Try this one. Applewood, unicorn hair, nine and a half inches, very flexible," Ollivander suggested. Yukio didn't even get a chance to wave the wand when the man snatched it out of the boy's hands. "No, no…"

Ten minutes of trial and error with no luck. The pile on the stool was getting incredibly large. Yukio was getting nervous. "Um… Sorry," he mumbled.

Mr. Ollivander laughed. "Do not be sorry, Yukio Okumura. It's very rare I get a customer who is ambidextrous," he assured. "I'm lucky to get one once a year. You are very special in that regard."

Yukio smiled at that.

"Let's try this one. Hawthorn, twelve inches, phoenix feather, bendy."

Yukio took the wand and gave it a wave. The temperature dropped to the point where frost appeared on the windows, everyone could see their breath, and puffs of snow came out of the tip.

Everyone applauded at the magical demonstration. Yukio was staring at the wand in his hand, his jaw practically on the floor.

"Alright, Yukio!" Rin cheered.

"D-D-Did I… Did I do that?!" he asked in disbelief; the temperature was beginning to return to normal.

"Yes, you did, Mr. Okumura," Ollivander confirmed. "You are, after all, a wizard. This wand was made for you." He then looked at Shiro and Rin. "One thing you lot must remember is that the wizard does not choose the wand. The _wand_ chooses the wizard."

"How does that work?" asked Rin.

Ollivander shook his head. "It's not always clear why."

"So, is this my wand now?" asked Yukio.

"That is correct," Ollivander confirmed. "Now let us move on to your brother. Rin Okumura, it is your turn."

Rin eagerly approached Ollivander as Yukio went back to Shiro.

"Which hand is your wand hand?" asked Ollivander.

"I'm right-handed," Rin answered.

Once again, the tape measure started moving on its own, measuring him from his navel to the tip of his nose, from his pinky to his elbow among other places.

"That will do," Ollivander said as he brought a box to the front desk. The tape measure fell to the floor again. The man gave Rin the wand from the box. "Try this one for starters. Holly, phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Rin gave the wand a wave and several boxes on the back shelf fell to the floor. Rin jumped back and gave Ollivander the wand back. "Sorry," he squeaked.

Ollivander ignored him and put the wand back in the box. "Didn't think that one would work anyway," he muttered to himself. He picked up one of the boxes off the floor and inspected it. "Let's try willow, unicorn hair, fourteen inches."

Rin tried again with this wand, but they caused Yukio's glasses to fly off his face. Ollivander snatched the wand from Rin's hands and grabbed another box on the floor.

"Vine, dragon heartstring, 10 ¾ inches," Ollivander explained.

Rin waved the wand and even more boxes on the shelves fell to the floor. Rin flinched yet again.

"Well, at least we have more options to look at," Ollivander noted.

The new pile on the stool grew bigger and bigger. Rin was becoming impatient. There had to be a wand meant for him. He didn't want to be the only student at Hogwarts without a wand.

Ollivander rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "I wonder… Perhaps we'll have luck in my exotic collection," he muttered to himself.

"What does he mean by that?" Rin asked his father.

"He probably has wands made of materials from other countries," Shiro guessed. "You must be one tough cookie if he has to go to his exotic collection to find your wand."

Ollivander came back with a box in his hands. "I think we might have luck if we tried some wands from around the world," he suggested. He pulled out the wand from the box. "Holly, rougarou hair, thirteen inches, unyielding."

Rin gulped and grabbed the wand, hoping that this one was the one for him. He did not want to cause any further damage to the shop (which, at this point, looked like a tornado went through it). As soon as he waved the wand, it glowed an unnatural shade of blue and a firework with the same shade shot out of the tip of the wand.

No one saw Shiro give the display a worrisome look.

"Very curious," Ollivander noted.

"What do you mean?" Rin asked.

"The core of this wand is rougarou hair," the man explained. "Wands with rougarou hair are said to have an affinity to Dark magic, like vampires to blood."

Rin shrank at that and started shuddering. He didn't want to do Dark magic! Bad guys did Dark magic and Rin did not want to be one of the bad guys!

Ollivander chuckled at Rin's reaction. "It is too soon to tell what lies ahead for you, Mr. Okumura," he assured. "Rest assured, they do not teach you any Dark spells at Hogwarts."

"I hope n-n-not!" Rin exclaimed shakily. "I don't wanna do Dark magic. I wanna be one of the good guys!"

Ollivander smiled. "That way of thinking will keep you on the straight and narrow, Mr. Okumura. As long as you think like that, you will have nothing to worry about."

"What's a rougarou?" asked Yukio.

"A rougarou is a werewolf-like beast that has the head of a dog and the body of a human found in the swamps of Louisiana in the United States," Ollivander explained. "Terrifying creatures, they are." Rin's shuddering turned into shivering at that.

Shiro decided to interfere and stepped forward with the money pouches in his hand. "So how much are the wands?" he asked.

* * *

 **I think this goes without saying but I do NOT own Harry Potter or Blue Exorcist. I noticed I haven't put in a disclaimer in this story yet so I might as well put it in now before I forget.**

 **What did you think? If you read the Ollivanders scene carefully, you'll notice a little Easter egg I put in. Tell me your guesses to what it is in your reviews.**

 **The moment you've all been waiting for is just around the corner! Shiro takes the kids sightseeing around Muggle London, they get their train tickets, and they meet three certain Hogwarts first-years.**

 **Haruka001: Tell a friend!**

 **Nightshade: I'm glad you like how I depicted Shiro. I tried make him as close to the anime/manga as I could.**

 **DemiGardess: Love the cover art! You did a great job!**


	5. First Meetings

***Snort!* Sorry, folks! I'm sick with a cold so I'll be down for the count for awhile. *Achoo!***

 **This chapter is quite long. It was hard mixing in the book's dialogue (WHICH I DO NOT OWN) with some of my own. *Cough!***

 **Enjoy! *Achoo!***

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **First Meetings**

"Wow!" Rin exclaimed as he read a travel guide while he, Yukio, and Shiro were walking around the streets of London. "Parlament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, Tower of London, even a giant ferris wheel! I wish we can visit them all!"

Shiro had received the boys' train tickets this morning and he wanted to exchange some of his leftover yen for some British pounds so he could get a taxi to take them to King's Cross Station the following morning.

"Maybe next year we can come back to London and we can explore more," Shiro suggested.

Yukio was listening to the conversation, so he did not notice that he bumped into someone.

"Watch where you're going!"

Yukio looked up to see the beefiest man he'd ever laid eyes on. The man's face was purple with a big bushy mustache.

"Sorry, sir," Yukio mumbled.

"Kids these days have no respect," the man growled. Rin growled back. No one said stuff like that to his brother and got away with it.

"Easy, friend," Shiro said. "It was an accident. No harm done."

"They're yours? Make sure to teach them to respect their elders," the beefy man advised.

"Duly noted," Shiro answered, although his eyebrow was twitching at this fat man's attitude. "Anyway, could you tell us which way is the closest bank? We're foreigners so we don't know our way around the city yet and I need to make an exchange."

The man grumbled and pointed behind him. "About two blocks that way," he answered. "Now, do you mind? I'm late for a meeting."

Shiro stepped aside and allowed the man to pass him. Rin then gave him a swift kick in the shins.

"Yeowch! You little brat!" the man cried as he gripped his leg.

"That's for being mean to my brother!" Rin yelled.

"Rin!" Shiro exclaimed. "That's enough! Apologize to him right now!"

"Only if he apologizes to Yukio first," Rin said.

Wanting to prevent Rin from making a scene, Shiro grabbed Rin and Yukio's hands. "You'll have to excuse him. It's almost lunchtime and his blood sugar is running low. Thank you for the directions. Have a nice day," he said quickly. He then hurried away from the beefy man in the direction to the train station.

Once they were far enough away Shiro then turned to Rin. "What was that about, Rin? Why did you kick that man?" he demanded.

Rin pouted and looked away. "He was being mean to Yukio. He apologized to the man and he was still mean to him," he reasoned.

"I understand you were trying to defend your brother but that does not give you the right to hurt other people," Shiro scolded. "I hope you behave yourself at Hogwarts. I do not want to receive a letter saying you got into a lot of fights."

Rin growled at that. It wasn't like he enjoyed getting into fights. He was only trying to get the bullies, big or small, to leave Yukio alone. Talking obviously did nothing to help, so he let his fists do the talking.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Shiro put his hand on Rin's head. "You're a good kid, Rin. Your heart is in the right place but you need to realize that violence is not always the answer."

Rin nodded. The trio began walking again. Yukio grabbed Rin's sleeve.

"I didn't need your help," he hissed. Rin just frowned. He was only trying to help…

~0~0~0~

The first of September finally came. Shiro managed to get some British currency to hail a taxi and get them to King's Cross Station. The trio was now standing between platforms nine and ten completely at a loss as to how and where to find Platform 9 ¾. Their luggage were on trolleys they found at the station's entrance (Shiro summoned Kuro, got him up to speed about what was happening and got him into a pet carrier).

"This doesn't make sense. There's no such thing," Yukio reasoned. "Tokyo doesn't even have train platforms like this."

Shiro scratched the side of his head. "Well, if you think like a wizard, it's probably hidden," he reasoned. "Like with the Leaky Cauldron for example. I had to rely on you two to help me find the entrance since I couldn't see it."

Yukio gripped his chin in thought. "I guess that makes sense," he said.

Shiro looked around. If the entrance to Platform 9 ¾ was nearby, surely another student would come by and show them where it was. His eyes landed on a short, plump woman and five children with bright red hair approaching them. He noted that among the luggage they were pushing on their trolleys was an owl. He knew that not just anyone would wheel an owl around a crowded Muggle train station.

"Excuse me," he called. The woman turned in his direction as he approached her, Rin and Yukio following close behind. "I can't help but notice you have an owl amongst your luggage. Are you...perhaps…"

"Trying to get onto the platform?" she asked. "To Hogwarts?" Shiro nodded. "All you have to do is walk straight into the barrier between platforms nine and ten," she explained, pointing to the pillar in-between said platforms. "Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash. That's the most important."

Shiro turned to the twins. "You two hear that?" he asked.

They both nodded. Rin put his trolley in front of him and charged. Part of him was expecting to crash into the pillar. He kept running and saw that he almost crashed into another pillar, but when he checked his surroundings he saw that he was not on platforms nine and ten. A sign hanging from an archway said "Platform 9 ¾."

Yukio and Shiro appeared soon after. Shiro whistled at the sight of the red locomotive. Yukio stared in awe at the crowd on the platform. Clearly the wizarding community was bigger than he imagined.

"You two better grab a compartment before they're all taken," said Shiro.

Rin and Yukio turned toward him, the reality that they were leaving their guardian for several months suddenly settling in.

"Y-You're...You're not coming with us?" asked Yukio with uncertainty.

Shiro shook his head. "I'm a Muggle. I couldn't get into Hogwarts if I wanted to," he explained. Rin's eyes started flooding. He and Yukio both embraced their father tightly. Shiro hugged them back. "Now, now, it won't be forever. They'll let you guys come home for the holidays."

"We'll miss you," Rin whimpered.

"I'll miss you guys too," said Shiro. He then let them go. "Now go have an adventure! I want to hear all about the new friends you'll make. Rin, don't get into any fights. Yukio, make sure Rin doesn't get into any fights."

Yukio nodded while Rin just glared at Shiro, a tick mark visible on his forehead.

~0~0~0~

The train departed at eleven o'clock sharp. The twins were having a difficult time finding a compartment to sit. They needed to find one quick, their luggage was getting heavy.

"Let's try this one," Rin suggested as he opened a compartment door. Inside the compartment were two young boys sitting across from each other. One was a small boy with messy black hair, glasses that hid his green eyes, and clothes that were a few sizes too big for him.

The other one, Rin noticed, was one of the red-haired kids he, Yukio, and Shiro saw at the train station. This one was taller than the first boy. Along with his red hair, he had freckles on his face, wore hand-me-down robes, and had a smudge on his nose.

"Excuse me, are there any open seats available?" Yukio asked. "Everywhere else is full."

The black-hair boy gestured them to come sit. The twins entered, put their luggage above their seats and sat down.

"You guys first years too?" Rin asked, breaking the ice. Both boys nodded. Rin smiled. "Sweet! So are we! I'm Rin Okumura and this is my twin brother, Yukio."

Yukio shook both their hands. "Nice to meet you…?"

"Oh, I'm Harry Potter," said the black-haired boy.

"Ron Weasley," said the red-haired boy.

"I remember you," Rin said to Ron. "Your mom helped us get onto Platform 9 ¾."

Ron's ears turned red. "It was nothing, really," he mumbled.

"I've heard people talk about you, Harry, at the Leaky Cauldron," said Yukio. "You're quite famous."

Harry turned red at the mentioning of his newly discovered fame, nodded and changed the subject. "Yeah. So, what's your family like, Ron? I wish I had three wizards for brothers." Harry clearly did not want to talk about his celebrity status to the other boys.

"Five," Ron corrected, looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in my family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I have a lot to live up to."

"What do you mean?" asked Yukio.

"Well, Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was head boy. Charlie was the Quidditch captain. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get good marks and everyone thinks they're funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal. They did it first and it doesn't matter what I do. You never get anything new with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."

Ron pulled out a fat, grey rat from his jacket pocket. It was currently asleep (though, for a split second, Rin thought it was dead). Kuro, who Rin let out of his carrier and was sleeping next to Rin, opened his eyes and sniffed in the rat's direction. He narrowed his eyes at the rodent, ready to pounce. Rin, seeing the danger Ron's rat was in, grabbed Kuro's collar.

"No," Rin said firmly. "Ron's our new friend. We do not eat our friend's pets."

Kuro looked up at Rin and relented but not before giving the rat an 'I've-got-my-eye-on-you' look.

Ron gave Rin a thankful smile. "His name's Scabbers," he said, indicating the rat. "He's useless; hardly ever wakes up. Dad got Percy an owl for being named prefect, but they couldn't affor- I mean, I got Scabbers instead."

Ron's ears turned a slightly darker shade of red.

"Yukio and I don't have much wizard money either," Rin said in an effort to make Ron feel better. "In fact, Dad had to exchange some of his Muggle money for wizard money to buy our stuff."

Yukio nodded. "Don't feel bad about not affording an owl, Ron," he assured. "We don't have one either. As you can see, we have a cat instead." Kuro kept staring at the rat sleeping in Ron's lap. Luckily Rin still had a good grip on his collar.

Harry joined in by telling the group how he always had to wear his cousin Dudley's old clothes and never having proper birthday presents. Rin's jaw dropped at this news and vowed to learn how to make a cake next summer for Harry. The thought of not receiving a birthday present or even a cake was blasphemous in Rin's opinion.

"And until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort-" Harry added.

Ron gasped in fear.

"What's wrong?" asked Yukio.

"You… You said… You said You-Know-Who's name!" Ron exclaimed in shocked. "I thought that you, of all people, would-"

"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying his name," Harry explained.

"Sounds like a stupid name if you ask me," Rin muttered to Yukio, who nodded in agreement.

"Do you guys think that I'll be so behind that I'll be at the bottom of the class?" Harry asked worriedly.

Ron shook his head no. "You won't be. There are loads of people who are from Muggle families and they learn quick enough. So will you," he assured.

"Yeah!" Rin piped up. "Yukio and I didn't even know we were wizards until this summer. We'll be fine."

"Harry will be fine," Yukio said. "Rin, however, is guaranteed to have trouble."

Rin glared at his brother. "What was that?!" he snapped. "For all you know I'll be one of the best wizards in school!"

Yukio stifled a laugh. "When hell freezes over," he snickered.

Several tick marks appeared on Rin's head. "Are you trying to pick a fight, you four-eyed mole face?" he angrily asked.

"Just stating the facts," Yukio said.

Ron and Harry started laughing at the twins' antics. It certainly helped lift their dampened moods.

At around half-past noon, a smiling, dimpled woman opened the compartment door. She was pushing a cart full of food.

"Anything off the cart, dears?" she asked sweetly.

Harry, Rin and Yukio stared at the strange, yet delicious, assortment of foods (Rin's mouth was visibly watering). There were Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice Wands, and numerous other candies. The boys bought as much as they could carry (Rin and Yukio had spare money from their trip to Diagon Alley).

Ron could only stare as they dumped their sweets on the empty seats.

"Hungry, are you?" he asked them.

"Starving," Harry answered.

"We've never had any of these," said Yukio.

"So we want to try as many as possible," Rin finished.

Ron pulled out some squashed sandwiches from his jacket. He unwrapped them, pulled one apart and looked inside the sandwich. He grimaced at the sandwich contents. "Mum always forgets I don't like corned beef," he sighed.

Rin took one of Ron's sandwiches and took a bite. His face scrunched up. "The meat's dry," he noted. He took a piece of the meat and offered it to Kuro. "Want some?"

Kuro sniffed the meat. He frowned, his ears flat on his head, and turned away with his nose up in the air.

Ron's ears turned pink again. Harry's owl, Hedwig, didn't even look interested. Rin then shocked everyone by opening the window and tossing the old sandwiches out.

"Better to have a wild animal eat it than let it rot in a garbage bin," Rin reasoned.

Ron paused for a moment before smiling. He then grabbed a pumpkin pasty and took a bite.

"This is pretty good," Yukio noted while he chewed on a cauldron cake.

"You gotta try the pumpkin pasties," said Rin. "I wanna learn how to make these."

Harry examined one of the chocolate frogs. "These aren't _real_ frogs, are they?" he asked.

"It's just a spell," Ron dismissed with a wave of his hand. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."

"Huh?" asked Rin. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, of course you lot wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards to collect inside. They have famous witches and wizards on them," Ron explained. "I've got about five hundred of them, but I'm missing Agrippa and Ptolemy."

Wanting to take part in a new wizarding hobby, Rin snatched a Chocolate Frog and struggled to unwrap it. Harry unwrapped his frog and it leapt off the wrapper. All four boys stared in shock at the edible amphibian as it clamoured up the window and leapt out of it.

"They only have one good jump in them," said Ron. "That's rotten luck."

Rin finally unwrapped his and snatched it before it could hop away. He bit its head off and searched the wrapper for the trading card.

"I've got Dumbledore," Harry said as he observed his trading card.

"Don't tell me you lot've never heard of Dumbledore," said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa." Yukio tossed him a frog. "Thanks."

"It says here that he's 'considered the greatest wizard of modern times,'" Harry read. He turned the card over and saw that the face had vanished. "He's gone!"

"Well, you can't expect him to stick around forever, can you?" said Ron. "He'll be back though. No, I got Morgana again and I've got six of her! Do any of you want it? You can start collecting them."

"I'll take it," said Yukio. "Who did you get, Rin?"

Rin looked at his card and smiled. "Hahaha! This guy has a jellyfish on his head!" he laughed. He turned it over. "His name's Uric the Oddball! Famous for wearing a jellyfish as a hat!"

Ron chuckled. "I've got three of him," he remarked.

Rin laughed even harder. "He's picking his nose now!" he exclaimed.

Yukio and Harry started laughing too. Yukio gave in and grabbed a Chocolate Frog to see who he would get.

"I've got Miranda Goshawk," said Yukio. "She wrote one of our spellbooks."

"Cool!" Rin remarked.

Harry then reached for a bag marked "Bertie Botts Every-Flavor Beans."

"Be careful of those," warned Ron. "When they say every flavor they _mean_ every flavor. You might get regular ones like chocolate, peppermint, or marmalade. Then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he got a bogey flavored one once." He then carefully took a nibble on one of the beans. "Bleaaaargh! See? Sprouts!"

Rin immediately grabbed a bean and took a nibble. He was pleased to know that the one he ate was blue raspberry. Yukio tried one and grimaced when he ate a sausage flavored bean. Harry had a grass flavored one.

Several minutes later, their compartment door opened. A round-faced boy came in, his face streaked with tears. "Sorry, have you seen a toad?" he asked tearfully.

All four boys shook their head no. "Sorry, mate," said Ron.

"I've lost him!" the boy wailed. "He keeps getting away from me!"

"We'll keep an eye out," Yukio reassured.

The boy nodded and left, forgetting to close the door.

"Don't know why he's so bothered," Ron muttered. "If I had to bring a toad to school, I'd lose him as fast as I could." He then frowned at the rat sleeping in his lap. "Then again, I've got Scabbers who's hardly any better than a toad. He could have _died_ and you wouldn't know the difference."

"I know I wouldn't," Rin muttered.

"I tried turning him yellow the other day to make him more interesting but it didn't work," Ron explained. "Here, let me show you."

He got out a rather old wand with a silver hair sticking out of the end. Rin and Yukio remembered that it was Ron's brother, Charlie's, old wand.

Ron was about to begin when a girl's voice asked, "Excuse me, have you seen Neville's toad?"

All four boys looked up and saw a girl their age who had buck teeth and bushy brown hair. She was already in her Hogwarts robes. Behind her was the round-faced boy now known as Neville.

Ron was about to say that they hadn't seen it when the girl noticed Ron's wand. "Oh! Are you doing magic?" she asked. "Well, let's see it then."

Ron seemed unnerved at the girl's boldness but went forward with the incantation:

" _Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,_

 _Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow!"_

Nothing happened.

"He's not yellow," Rin noted.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" the girl asked. "Well, it's not very good, is it?" The girl then bragged that she was the only witch in her family and that she'd already memorized all of the spells in her spellbooks. "I'm Hermione Granger, by the way. Who are you lot?"

"Ron Weasley," Ron grumbled. He looked irritated at the fact that this girl had already memorized the course books.

"I'm Rin Okumura."

"I'm Yukio Okumura, Rin's fraternal twin brother," Yukio introduced.

"Are you two from Asia?" asked Hermione. Yukio nodded. "I don't mean to sound rude or unwelcoming but why are you going to Hogwarts instead of Mahoutokoro? I heard that it's one of the best wizarding schools in Asia."

Rin and Yukio looked at each other before looking at Hermione again and shrugged.

"We don't know," Rin answered.

"We were late bloomers," Yukio tried to explain. "Our magic didn't manifest itself until we were older than the admission age."

Hermione gave the twins a skeptical look before turning towards Harry.

"I'm Harry Potter."

Hermione instantly brightened. "Are you really?" she asked. She then went on and on about the books that mentioned Harry. Rin never realized that his new friend was more famous than he thought. Hermione then left after mentioning about what house she might be in before she and Neville left to search for his toad.

The boys just stared as she and Neville left.

"Bloody hell, does she even need to breathe to talk?" asked Ron.

"Her face didn't even turn blue," Rin realized, "but I didn't see her stop to breathe."

"She kept talking about houses," Yukio recalled. "What did she mean by that?"

"There are four houses at Hogwarts. Hagrid told me," Harry recalled. "The houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. They're kind of like living quarters for you to live in." He then turned to Ron. "What house were your brothers in?"

"Gryffindor," Ron answered gloomily. "Mum and Dad were there too. Don't know what they'll do if I'm not. Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad, but Slytherin…"

"That the house that Vol- I mean You-Know-Who was in?" Harry asked.

Rin froze. "And he's the guy who killed your parents, right?" Rin asked for clarity.

Harry nodded. Rin blanched. It was bad enough that his wand had the hair of a Dark creature. What if he wound up being in the same Hogwarts house as Voldemort? He had already taken a liking to Harry and Ron. What would they think of him if he was put in Slytherin?

The compartment door slid open once again and this time three boys their age stood in the doorway. The two boys on the sides were tall and looked like a pair of thugs, the kind of kids Rin would regularly get into fights with back home. The pale boy in the middle had the smug look of a rich kid. Rin immediately disliked him.

"Is it true what everyone on the train is saying?" the pale boy asked. "Is Harry Potter in this compartment?"

"Yes," Harry answered, his eyes moving towards the two other boys who were standing like bodyguards to the other boy. The pale kid noticed Harry's glance.

"This is Crabbe," he gestured to the first kid, "and this is Goyle," he gestured to the other boy. "And my name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Yukio managed to stop himself from laughing. Rin and Ron were not as discreet as they both tried hiding their laughs with coughs. Malfoy looked at Ron first in disdain.

"Think my name's funny, do you?" he sneered. "No need to tell me who you are. Father told me all about the Weasleys. Red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." He then turned his attention to Rin and Yukio. "And who are you two?"

Yukio adjusted his glasses. "My name is Yukio Okumura and this is my twin brother, Rin," he answered, making sure to keep a good grip on the back of Rin's shirt. He could tell that his brother was itching for a fight with Malfoy who was looking at the two of them like they were gum on his shoe.

Malfoy turned his attention back to Harry. "You'll soon find that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort," he said. He extended his hand as if offering a handshake. "I can help you there."

Harry looked at the hand but didn't shake it. "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks," he said coolly.

Malfoy's cheeks turned a little pink. "I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said threateningly. "Unless you're a bit politer, you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them either. You hang out with riffraff like that Hagrid or _them_ and it might rub off on you."

Harry, Ron, and Rin stood up. Ron's face was as red as his hair. "Say that again!" he growled.

"You wanna fight?" Rin snarled.

"Rin, don't!" Yukio warned. "You promised Dad you wouldn't get into fights." He then turned to Malfoy. "I think it's time for you to leave."

"But we don't want to leave, do we, boys?" Malfoy asked his friends. "We've eaten all our food and you still have some left."

Goyle reached for some of the sweets when he started screaming in pain. He jumped back, waving his hand wildly with Scabbers latched on firmly with his teeth. Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle kept waving his hand until Scabbers flew off his hand and crashed into the window. Kuro hissed at the bullies, ready to pounce. They fled the compartment, afraid of what the demonic cat had in store for them.

Ron picked up Scabbers. "I think he's been knocked out," said Rin.

Ron looked closer at his pet and his eyes widened. "I don't believe it! He fell asleep again!" he exclaimed.

Harry, Rin and Yukio stared in awe at Scabbers.

"That is one tough rat," said Yukio.

* * *

 **Not the best way to end a chapter but this cold is clouding my creativity, I think.**

 **Sorting Rin and Yukio have not been easy. I already know where to sort Rin but Yukio has been a challenge. I'm taking what I've read in the manga and watched in the anime (both the original series as well as the Kyoto Saga) into account. I'll leave it up to you to guess which house the Four-Eyed Mole Face winds up in.**

 **Now excuse me while I crawl into bed and sleep this stupid cold off. *Blows nose***


	6. Uncertainties

**I'm feeling slightly better. Well enough to write this, obviously, but I must admit this chapter is not my best work. Congestion does that to one's creativity, I guess.**

 **Anyway, the show must go on.**

 **Please read the notes at the end of this chapter, please.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **Uncertainties**

As soon as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station, Shiro left King's Cross Station, took a taxi to Westminster Abbey, and used his key to enter Vatican Headquarters. The interior was like the underbelly of a temple or a church. A man in a white suit was waiting for him.

"I take it you said your bon voyages," Mephisto Pheles assumed.

"The train just pulled out of the station," Shiro confirmed.

"Swain contacted me," said Mephisto. "He heard you were in London and was hoping to share a pint with you."

Shiro smiled. "Maybe in the winter when I pick the boys up for the holidays," he said.

The two men then started walking down the hallway. "So was _he_ there?" asked Mephisto. "He shouldn't have been that hard to spot. That scar of his sticks out like a sore thumb."

"No, I didn't see him but I saw Gideon and Fabian Prewett's sister and her kids," Shiro answered. "Arthur's a machine!"

Mephisto pulled out a key and unlocked a door that lead to his office. The two spent several minutes there catching up on the events surrounding them over the past several weeks. It wasn't until Shiro mentioned the twins' trip to Diagon Alley that their conversation became serious.

"And then when it was Rin's turn, his wand glowed blue," Shiro described. "Also, a blue firework - the exact shade of blue, I might add - shot out of the tip of the wand."

Mephisto gripped his chin in thought at this new development. "I must say, I've never heard of anything like this before," he admitted. It was silent before he spoke again. "I may have an idea, but take it with a grain of salt. It's only a guess.

"Rin's eleven now. He's going to be twelve this winter. Puberty is a year or two away. Not only will changes in his body emerge, but so will his demon powers. Perhaps using magic will be like a channel to his powers," Mephisto hypothesized.

"What are you saying?" asked Shiro. "That using magic will keep his powers under control?"

"As long as he uses a wand to use his magic, yes," Mephisto confirmed. "Shifting gears here, did you know that your apprentice is something called a Squib?"

~0~0~0~

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table cheered as a girl named Lavender Brown walked to join them. Rin was shaking in his robes. He felt like throwing up as Professor McGonagall continued reading the list of first years who sat on a stool and wore a talking hat that would decide which house each student would be Sorted into.

The list went on and on. Hermione Granger was Sorted into Gryffindor (much to Rin and Ron's chagrin). When Draco Malfoy was Sorted into Slytherin, Rin felt like he was on the brink of having a panic attack. He'd rather deal with the daily headache that came with living with a know-it-all like Hermione than deal with that prick Malfoy on a daily basis.

"Okumura, Rin."

Rin's mind went blank. Harry had to give him a gentle push forward to get his feet moving. Rin slowly walked up the steps and sat down on the footstool. The Sorting Hat was placed on his head. A voice started speaking into his ear.

" _Well, aren't you an interesting one."_

Rin started shivering a little.

" _What do you mean 'interesting?'"_

" _You are rather brave, willing to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. And yet, there is a darkness buried within you."_

Rin gripped the edge of his seat, unaware of the indentations his fingers were leaving on the stool.

" _D-D-D-Darkness?!"_

" _Do you fear it? Slytherin would be ideal for nurturing this gift within you."_

" _I'm not dark! I'm not a demon! Just because I get into fights a lot does not make me evil! I wanna be a cool guy, like my dad. He's smart, brave, and really cool!"_

" _Is that so? In that case, you'd best be in…"_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Everyone at the Gryffindor table cheered as the hat was removed from Rin's head. He released a breath of relief. He stood up, walked down the steps, passed Harry, Ron, and Yukio, who were all clapping for him as well (Harry and Ron more than Yukio for some reason), and sat down.

Two twin boys, who could only be Ron's brothers, introduced themselves as Fred and George, were sitting right next to him. Rin could tell that he was going to get along with them just fine.

"Okumura, Yukio."

Rin held his breath again as his younger brother walked up the steps, sat down and had the Sorting Hat placed on his head.

~0~0~0~

" _So you're the other hellspawn, are you?"_

" _I'm not a hellspawn. I'm human. My brother isn't human but he doesn't know it yet."_

" _I'm aware that he has a darkness growing inside him. I can see that you have a darkness growing inside you too."_

" _No! I'm nothing like my brother! Now Sort me!"_

" _Very well. The darkness inside you, however, is growing abnormally slow. While Slytherin is ideal for you, you have an overwhelming desire for knowledge. Studious, patient, and a sound mind. You are perfect for…"_

~0~0~0~

"RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaw table cheered as Yukio gave the Sorting Hat to Professor McGonagall. Rin tried to hide his disappointment. He was really hoping that Yukio would be Sorted into Gryffindor like him. How was Yukio going to keep him from getting into fights now? Rin would have to hope that Harry and Ron would keep him in line (if they were Sorted there too).

In fact, the next person to be Sorted was…

"Potter, Harry."

Everyone in the Great Hall started whispering as Harry approached McGonagall.

"Potter, did she say?"

" _The_ Harry Potter?"

Rin suddenly understood why some celebrities tried staying out of the spotlight. Harry clearly did not like his celebrity status. It was clearly embarrassing him. McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on him and everyone waited in anticipation at where Harry would be Sorted into.

It felt like an eternity, when it actually felt like a minute or two, when the Sorting Hat shouted:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Rin and the rest of the Gryffindor table cheered loudly. Harry, feeling relieved, smiled and shakily walked to Gryffindor table and sat down next to Rin. He received many high fives from several students, including Fred and George ("We got Potter! We got Potter!").

Eventually, it was Ron's turn. Rin and Harry crossed their fingers

"Ah-ha! _Another_ Weasley! I know just what to do with you!" the hat boomed. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry and Rin gave each other a high-five as Ron sat down next to them.

"Well done, Ron! Excellent!" Ron's brother, Percy, praised.

After "Zabini, Blaise" was made a Slytherin, Professor McGonagall rolled up the scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. Professor Dumbledore, whom Rin recognized from Harry's Chocolate Frog card, stood up, beaming at all of the students.

"Welcome!" he greeted. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: 'Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!' Thank you!"

Everyone in the Great Hall clapped and cheered as Dumbledore sat down. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not. Rin just looked confused.

"Is he… a bit mad?" Harry asked Percy.

"I think he's off his rocker," Rin commented.

"Mad?" Percy asked. "He's a genius. Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"

Rin, Ron, and Harry's mouths dropped open when they saw that the empty dishes in front of them were now piled high with food. Rin didn't hesitate to start scooping up as much food as he could on his plate. He started tasting and eating the different dishes, making mental notes to what ingredient each dish contained. He _had_ to know how some of these dishes were made so he could recreate them at home. It was so good!

"That does look good," a ghost with a ruffled collar said as he watched Harry cut a steak. Rin nearly choked on the roast beef he was chewing on. There were ghosts here too?!

Harry looked at the ghost pityingly. "Can you…?"

"I haven't eaten for nearly four-hundred years," the ghost said matter-of-factly, "but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"Nice to meet you!" Rin chirped after recovering from nearly choking. "First time I've ever met a ghost."

"I know who you are!" Ron suddenly spoke up. "My brothers told me about you. You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I would _prefer_ you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-"

" _Nearly_ Headless?" Hermione interrupted. "How can you be _nearly_ headless?"

Nick seemed very annoyed but still answered the bushy-haired girl. "Like _this_."

He grabbed his left ear and pulled. His entire head swung off his neck and landed on his shoulder, as if it were on a hinge. It seemed that whoever tried to behead Nick did a poor job at it.

Rin responded by doing a spit-take of his pumpkin juice into Neville's face who was sitting across from him.

Rin blushed at his blunder. "Sorry, Neville," he whimpered. Neville nodded understandingly as he wiped the pumpkin juice off his face.

Nearly Headless Nick swung his head back on his shoulders, coughed, and said, "So, new Gryffindors! I do hope you're going to help us with the championship this year? Gryffindor needs a good win, the Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable. He's the Slytherin ghost, you know."

The food disappeared and was replaced with a variety of desserts. Ice cream, eclairs, cookies, pies, tarts, pudding…

"I don't know where to start!" Rin exclaimed, he and Ron were staring at all of the desserts, their mouths visibly drooling. They both started serving themselves dessert when their fellow Gryffindors started talking about their families.

"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus Finnigan. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mum didn't tell him she was a witch till after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."

The others laughed. "What about you, Neville?" asked Ron.

"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville. Rin toned everyone out and thought long and hard about what he'd say if people ever asked about his family. It wasn't unusual for some kids to come from families with no magic whatsoever. Hermione was proof of that.

"What about you, Rin?" asked Dean Thomas. "What's your family like?"

Rin swallowed his ice cream before answering. "Yukio and I were adopted at birth so we have no idea who our real parents are," he explained. "Our adoptive dad's a Muggle, though. He's an exorcist and he raised us in a monastery."

"How did you wind up here at Hogwarts then?" asked Neville. "Aren't you two Japanese? I heard Mahoutokoro is the best wizarding school in Asia."

Rin shrugged. "Yeah, we're Japanese but I don't know why we're not there. Yukio and I got our Hogwarts letters one day and the rest is history."

"Probably because Hogwarts is the only wizarding school that teaches Demonology," Ron guessed. "Percy told me. Several other magical schools are still debating whether to add the subject to their curriculums."

"That makes sense," Harry agreed. "You and your brother were raised by an exorcist in a monastery. It's only natural that you come to the only magical school that teaches the subject."

Rin took another bite of ice cream. "I guess so," he said.

~0~0~0~

When the plates were cleared, Professor Dumbledore stood up again and the hall immediately fell silent. He cleared his throat. "Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give to you. First, I'd like to welcome our new Demonology professor, Professor Shura Kirigakure."

A young woman in her early twenties stood up. She had long faded red hair with blonde ends that made it look like flames. She wore a bikini underneath her robes that did a poor job hiding her rather large chest. Yukio blanched.

' _What is_ she _doing here?!'_

"Next, first years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all students - and a few older students would do well to remember that as well," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling in the Weasley twins' direction (who were trying, and failing, miserably at looking innocent). "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, our caretaker, to remind you that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held on the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for his or her house team should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Some people laughed, including Harry and Rin, but it was clear that Dumbledore was quite serious.

~0~0~0~

Yukio looked around at the Ravenclaw common room and was immediately impressed at the decor. The windows were arched, the domed ceiling was painted with stars, and the walls were hung with blue and bronze silks. Tables, chairs, and bookshelves covered the spread of the common room.

Yukio followed the other first year boys to the dormitories. To his surprise, his luggage and belongings were already waiting for him in front of his assigned bed. While Yukio was going to share this dorm with the other Ravenclaw first year boys, it still felt weird that Rin wasn't going to be sharing this dorm either.

"Thinking about your brother?"

Yukio snapped out of his thoughts and saw one of his fellow first years, Terry Boot, talking to him.

"Yeah," Yukio confirmed with a nod. "I've always shared my room with Rin. This is the first time I've shared a dorm with other kids."

"You'll get used to it," said Michael Corner.

"First time away from home?" asked Terry. Yukio nodded again.

"Same with us," answered Anthony Goldstein. "Maybe we'll get some classes with the Gryffindors. You can see your brother then."

Yukio only nodded.

* * *

 **I NEED MORE REVIEWS! The fact that I'm hardly getting any reviews for this story is a big blow to my self-confidence as a writer. I'm hoping for at least 100 reviews by this story's end. The more reviews I get, the more likely I'll do Year 2. But you guys need to play your part by encouraging me to write more. I need the motivation.**

 **On a lighter note, Sorting Rin and Yukio was quite a challenge for me. Rin, obviously, had to be put into Gryffindor because in the anime/manga, he's always going on about how he's going to beat the bad guy and he tends to jump into a situation, head first (like many Gryffindors are known to do).**

 **I was very close to putting Yukio into Slytherin based on his recent behavior in the manga. I'm not going to spoil anything but if you've read the manga, you'd understand.**

 **I've also added Shura to the cast because I wasn't about to make an OC character to teach the students Demonology when there are plenty of Blue Exorcist characters who fit the bill. I also made her a Squib because she's already a badass without a wand and Squibs are able to enter Hogwarts whie Muggles can't. Filch is proof of that.**

 **Make sure to review!**


	7. First Week

**I've returned! This was kind of a challenge. Now that the gang is at Hogwarts, I'm going to have to get creative with what goes on in their classes.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **First Week**

Harry, Ron, and Rin hurried as fast as they could to Transfigurations. The entire castle was like a huge maze. The stairs had a habit of moving on their own, so getting to classes was very difficult.

They managed to barely get to Transfigurations to find that Professor McGonagall was not there yet, but for some reason there was a tabby cat sitting on her desk.

Ron smiled. "Phew! Looks like we made it!" he exclaimed in relief, shooting his friends a grin.

"Yeah," Rin agreed. "Imagine the look on old lady McGonagall's face if we were late."

The cat jumped off the desk and turned into a very unamused Professor McGonagall. All three boys, as well as the rest of the class, stared in amazement.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed. McGonagall's face did not change a bit as she approached them.

"Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley," she said. "Maybe if I transfigure you, Mr. Potter, or Mr. Okumura into pocket watches, at least one of you would be on time."

"We got lost," Harry defended. Ron and Rin nodded in agreement.

"Then perhaps a map?" McGonagall retaliated. "I trust you three don't need one to find your seats."

All three boys' faces were bright red as they sat down at their desks. McGonagall walked back to the front of the classroom and addressed her students.

"Welcome to Transfiguration. This is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and never come back. You have been warned," she said.

She then turned her desk into a pig and back. Everyone was amazed at this demonstration but then turned into disappointment when they learned that they had to turn matches into needles (after taking many long and complicated notes).

Everyone had a hard time performing this task. The only thing Rin succeeded in doing to the match was lighting it with his wand. Rin was quite surprised that every time he performed magic with his wand, it spurted a blue flame before the effects of the spell took place. The match that Rin tried to transfigure was lit with blue flames. After lighting five matches on fire, McGonagall didn't give him any more to practice on. Only Hermione managed to make her match nice and pointy.

The other classes were just as complicated as Transfigurations. In Charms, Rin learned, that there was more to magic than waving his wand and saying some silly words. The class was very complicated for Rin.

History of Magic was probably the most boring class ever. Besides the fact that the teacher, Professor Binns, was a ghost, there was nothing exciting about this class. Even Yukio, who was the most studious person Rin knew, had a difficult time paying attention. Rin fell asleep within ten minutes of the start of class.

A dumpy witch with flyaway hair named Professor Sprout taught Herbology in the greenhouses outside. The Okumura twins learned about various plants and fungi along with their properties. Rin would have enjoyed the class more if one of the plants hadn't tried to eat his hand when he reached out to touch it.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was taught by Professor Quirrel. Rin had a difficult time following what his teacher was saying due to his stutter. Rin tried to take this class seriously but Quirrel's stutter along with the strong smell of garlic in the classroom (Quirrel said that it was to ward off a vampire who wanted revenge), made everyone's eyes water and smell like garlic bread. Rin, for some reason, was on the verge of fainting by the end of the class.

~0~0~0~

Much to the Gryffindors' chagrin on Wednesday, they were having Demonology class with the Slytherins. The classroom had charts and posters of a variety of demons and monsters.

"Blimey, makes me wonder how morbid last year's classroom was," Ron muttered.

"I wonder how Professor Kirigakure is as a teacher," Harry said as he sat down at a desk.

"I'm wondering whose idea it was to pair the Gryffindors with the Slytherins twice a week," Rin grumbled as he studied his timetable. Later on that week, the Gryffindors would be with the Slytherins again for Potions.

"Don't understand why we have to take these classes to begin with," Malfoy drawled as he and his cronies entered the classroom. "Why study demons at all? Just how many of us can actually see them anyway?"

"I'm looking at one right now," Rin answered snidely. "And he makes hobgoblins look as cute as bunnies."

Ron and Harry snickered at Rin's insult to Malfoy, who turned a little pink.

"Trying to be funny, Okumura?" he challenged.

Rin was about to make a comeback when the classroom door slammed shut. Professor Kirigakure strode into the classroom. Judging by her disheveled appearance, she was still waking up from a hangover.

"What is it with the UK and tea? Would it kill the house elves to serve coffee?" she grumbled to herself. She made it to the front of the classroom and took attendance (although she paused for a moment when she reached Rin's name, something Harry thought unusual since most teachers so far got excited when they reached his name during attendance).

"Welcome to Introduction to Demonology," she started. "My name is Shura Kirigakure as you well know. Please call me Professor Shura. Calling me by my last name makes me sound like an old hag, plus it's a mouthful. First thing's first, I do not tolerate tardiness. The moment the door closes, class has begun. If you're tardy, you better have a good excuse.

"Second, this class is the newest on Hogwarts' curriculum. It was established about ten years ago. Professor Dumbledore thought you guys needed to know at least the basics of Demonology. After your third year, this class will become an elective. Whether you want to continue studying in this class or not is up to you. Now let's begin.

"Who has the ability to see demons?" Only two people raised their hands. "Okay. Now why is that?"

Hermione shot her hand up.

"Granger?"

"They are able to see demons because they have temptaints," Hermione answered.

Shura nodded. "Correct. Five points to Gryffindor," she said. "Now, how does one get a temptaint?"

Hermione raised her hand again.

"Granger again?"

"A person receives a temptaint when they have been wounded or have been afflicted with an illness by a demon," Hermione answered again.

"Correct again. Another five points to Gryffindor," said Shura. She looked around before speaking again. "Well, what are you guys gawking at? Write this stuff down!"

Everyone hastily scrambled to take out parchment and started writing down notes.

Malfoy grumbled something about this class being a waste of time when a purple sword with green gems that looked like snake eyes was jammed into his desk. Malfoy yelped and saw that Professor Shura was the wielder of the sword. Rin dropped his jaw. He didn't even see her draw it. Harry almost felt sorry for Malfoy who was cowering at the sword and its wielder.

"Waste of time, huh? You got a problem with this class, go cry about it to Dumbledore," she said. "You'd be surprised at the kinds of things I can do as an exorcist. _Muggles_ can do this." She smiled sadistically at Malfoy. "I'm going to enjoy teaching you, you little ferret." She removed her sword from the desk and addressed the students.

"Now, for this class we'll be discussing the different meisters an exorcist can receive. Can anyone tell me what those five meisters are? Let's pick someone else, Granger. Give em' a chance to be in the spotlight."

~0~0~0~

"She's bloody mental!" Ron exclaimed as they were leaving Demonology.

"Jabbing that sword into Malfoy's desk was overkill," Harry agreed. He didn't like Malfoy but he didn't think the Slytherin deserved that kind of treatment.

"Did anyone see her draw the sword?" asked Rin.

"No," Ron and Harry said at the same time.

"I think I heard her say something, but I didn't hear exactly what she said," Ron recalled.

"Do you think that demons really do exist?" asked Harry. "I've never seen one in person."

Rin nodded. "Demons do exist," he confirmed. "My cat, Kuro? He's a demon."

Ron and Harry's eyes widened.

"How?" asked Harry. "He looks like a normal cat to me."

Rin nodded again. "Yeah, I know. But Dad was able to summon him with a piece of paper with a summoning circle on it. Plus, Yukio has a temptaint so he knows what Kuro really looks like," he explained.

"Until I get a temptaint, Yukio will have to be our demon detector," said Ron.

~0~0~0~

"Hey, Yukio, where were you during Demonology?" asked Terry Boot as they saw Yukio leave the library on Thursday.

"Professor Shura didn't even call your name when she took attendance," Michael Corner noted.

Yukio hesitated. What was he supposed to tell them? They obviously saw him as a friend but would they still think the same if he told them the truth?

"Before I tell you, can you keep a secret? Even from my own brother?" Yukio asked.

Terry, Michael, and Anthony looked amongst each other before nodding.

"Sure, Yukio," Terry promised. "We won't tell anyone." Michael and Anthony nodded, letting Yukio know that they promised too.

Yukio released a breath before telling them. "I'm in Beginner's Demonology II," he admitted.

The three Ravenclaw first years dropped their jaws.

"You're in a _third year class_?!" Terry asked.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Anthony.

"How did you get that far ahead of us?" asked Michael.

Yukio raised his hands defensively. "Shhhh! Keep it down! I don't want word to spread," he said.

Terry was the first to calm down. "Well, how did this happen?" he asked. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Yukio rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I told you guys that my dad is an exorcist, didn't I?"

Anthony nodded. "Yeah, you and your brother were raised in a monastery, right?"

Yukio nodded. "Yeah. My dad's a high-ranking exorcist at the Knights of the True Cross," Yukio explained. "I've been able to see demons for as long as I can remember. Dad told me I could become an exorcist to protect Rin. And I've been training in secret ever since. Dad also told Dumbledore about me and agreed that I should be in a harder class."

"Wow…" the three boys said in awe.

"Please don't tell Rin or anyone else, okay?" Yukio begged. "He'll get really jealous and would want to get involved too. Dad doesn't want that."

Terry, Michael, and Anthony looked at each other again and nodded.

"We won't tell anyone," Anthony promised.

"In return, you have to help us with our Demonology homework from now on," Michael compromised.

Yukio stared at them incredulously. "Wh-what?!"

Terry smiled and nodded. "It wouldn't be fair if we struggle in this class when you already know the material."

"We're your friends, right?" said Michael. "It's only natural you help us with our homework."

Yukio continued to stare at them before giving them a nervous smile. "Okay. I'll help you with your Demonology homework if you promise to not tell anyone that I'm taking harder classes," he clarified.

"Deal," Terry, Michael, and Anthony promised simultaneously.

~0~0~0~

 _GRRRRGGLLL!_

Rin gripped his stomach as it growled at him again, telling him to feed it. He had looked all over the castle and couldn't find a way to get to the kitchens for a quick snack. Harry and Ron had no idea where the kitchens were so Rin was on his own to find them.

He saw Fred and George leaving Transfigurations. Maybe they knew where the kitchens were.

"Hey! Fred! George!" he called out to them.

Both red-headed twins turned towards Rin before smiling.

"How can we help you, Rin?" asked Fred.

"Figuring out your way around Hogwarts?" asked George.

 _GGRRRGGGLLL!_

Rin sweatdropped as his stomach made itself known to the twins. "Does that answer your question?" he asked, embarrassed.

"It's still mid-afternoon," George noted.

"Dinner's still a long ways away," Fred added.

"Looking for the kitchens?" they asked at the same time. Rin's face turned a little red and nodded.

"Just want a snack to tide me over until dinner," he grumbled.

"What do you think, Fred? Should we tell him?"

"I say yes, George," said Fred. The two each grabbed one of Rin's shoulders before leading him away from the other students still lingering outside the classroom.

"There's a painting of a bowl of fruit near the Hufflepuff house entrance," George explained. "Just tickle the pear…"

"And you're in," Fred finished.

Rin smiled. He had a pretty good idea where the entrance to Hufflepuff house was (getting lost on his way to class all week would finally pay off). He thanked the Weasley twins and made his way to the kitchens.

~0~0~0~

Rin stared in awe at how many little people were working in the kitchens. They all had batlike ears and eyes the size of tennis balls. They looked like some sort of subspecies of goblin. The moment Rin closed the door, everyone looked in his direction.

Rin looked at them all. Their huge eyes were starting to creep him out.

"Uh...hi?" Rin greeted nervously.

One little woman came forward and bowed so low, her nose almost touched the floor. "Good afternoon, sir," she greeted. "How can we help you?"

Rin blinked before snapping out it. "Uh, yeah! Um, can you guys make some rice balls or something for me? I need a snack," he requested.

The little woman suddenly looked around, looking panicked. "Dolly's sorry, sir! No one here knows how to make 'rice balls!'" she exclaimed, looking ready to burst into tears.

Rin panicked too and started waving his hands frantically in an effort to calm the little person down. "H-Hey! It's okay! I can teach you guys how to make them if it makes you feel better!" he exclaimed frantically.

The little woman called Dolly started to calm down. "Y-you would teach Dolly and the other house elves how to make these 'rice balls?'" she asked.

Rin nodded. "Sure, I can teach you," he replied. He then looked at all the other house elves in the kitchen. "Is that what you guys are? House elves?"

Dolly nodded. "Yes, sir. We cook all the meals here at Hogwarts," she explained. "We are also responsible for cleaning the dormitories."

Rin's jaw dropped. "That's amazing! You guys are really good cooks!" he exclaimed.

Dolly blushed a little at the praise. "Thank you, sir."

Rin smiled. He was going to like these house elves. "You're welcome. Now, let's get started with those rice balls. We're going to need rice, dried seaweed, and… pickled plums! I'm in the mood for plums in my rice balls."

Several house elves disappeared in a series of _cracks_! When they reappeared, they were carrying the necessary ingredients.

Rin rolled up his sleeves. "Okay! Step back and I'll show you how it's done!"

~0~0~0~

Rin made more than enough rice balls for a simple snack. Several house elves tried the confections that Rin made. Their tennis ball-sized eyes widened when they took their first bites.

"These are most delicious, sir!" Dolly exclaimed. "Dolly must know how to make these!"

"Please, sir!" another house elf begged. "We must know how to make these 'rice balls' for the next time you come visit."

"Sure!" Rin chirped. He got out a piece of parchment, his quill, and a bottle of ink and wrote the recipe down. "I'll also write down other things you can put into the rice balls besides plums. You can put in other pickled fruits as well as grilled meats."

"Thank you so much, sir!" said Dolly.

"By the way, my name's Rin. Rin Okumura."

"A pleasure to meet you, Rin Okumura," said Dolly. "Rin Okumura is always welcome in the kitchens."

Rin took a bite of a rice ball and smiled. "A pleasure to meet you too, Dolly."

He could tell that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

 **So much happened in the first week, huh?**

 **I wanted Rin to display his culinary talents at least once in this story, so I had him meet the Hogwarts house elves.**

 **Now, before you guys throw a hissy fit about the Demonology classes, let me explain. The subject as a whole is divided by Introduction, Beginner's I & II, Intermediate I & II, and Advanced I & II. First years do Introductory, Second and Third year students learn the Beginner's classes. I put Yukio in Beginner's II because I heard somewhere that he became an Exwire at age 13. If a student completes Intermediate Demonology II (when they're a fifth year), they're the equivalent to an Exwire. **

**Hopefully, you guys understand my explanation. I'm not the best at explaining these kinds of things.**

 **Keep reviewing! The more you review, the sooner we'll meet our favorite Potions master!**


	8. The Potions Master

**Not much to tell on this chapter. It's just a retelling of the first Potions class.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **The Potions Master**

"What have we got today?" Harry asked as he put sugar on his porridge Friday morning.

Ron got out his timetable and frowned. "Double Potions with the Slytherins," he said.

Rin groaned. He was not looking forward to having Potions with the Slytherins. It was bad enough that they had to have Demonology with the Slytherins, did they really have to have Potions with them too?

"I wonder how bad the teacher is," said Rin.

"Snape? He's head of Slytherin House," said Ron. "They say that he favors them - we'll be able to see if that's true."

"I wish McGonagall favored us," Harry grumbled, remembering the mountain of homework she'd given them after their first lesson.

Yukio entered the Great Hall with three other Ravenclaws. Rin got up and ran up to his brother.

"Yukio! Have you already had Potions?" Rin asked.

Yukio gave his brother a deadpanned look. "Good morning to you too," he greeted in a sarcastic tone.

"Nevermind that, Yukio! Just answer the question," Rin demanded.

"Yes, we had Potions yesterday."

"How was it? How was the teacher?"

"Professor Snape? He's pretty strict," Yukio answered.

Terry Boot frowned. "Strict? That's an understatement!" he exclaimed. "He made a Hufflepuff cry!"

"Come on, Terry. He wasn't that bad," Yukio defended.

"Only because he couldn't find anything wrong with the potion you were making," Terry responded.

"He criticized every mistake I made and hovered over my cauldron for so long, I had a panic attack!" Michael Corner exclaimed. "I spent the rest of the day in the Hospital Wing."

Rin became nervous. "He's that bad?" he asked.

Anthony Goldstein placed a hand on Rin's shoulder. "May God be with you today."

~0~0~0~

Rin was not looking forward to Potions, but he was looking forward to his free period. Harry had invited him, Ron, and Yukio to visit Hagrid that afternoon. All Rin had to do was get through Potions and things would start to look up.

The Potions classroom was located in one of the vast dungeons of Hogwarts. It immediately reminded Rin of a mad scientist's laboratory from a horror movie due to the various things preserved in jars.

Harry and Ron took a seat next to each other. Rin sat down next to Hermione. Professor Snape entered the classroom. His greasy black hair, hooked nose, and billowing cloak gave him the appearance of a giant bat.

As he took roll call, he stopped at Harry's name.

"Ah, yes," he said softly. "Harry Potter. Our new _celebrity_." Malfoy and his friends snickered at the unwanted attention Harry was receiving.

When Snape was finished, he began addressing the class. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he started. His monotone voice was so soft, Rin had to lean forward to make sure he heard everything. He wanted to ask Snape to speak a little louder but wisely chose not to. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe that this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Rin scowled at the greasy-haired man. Hermione was on the edge of her seat, eager to prove that she was not a dunderhead. Harry and Ron exchanged raised eyebrows.

"Potter!" Snape called suddenly. "What I get if I added powdered root asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Hermione's hand shot up into the air. Rin's jaw dropped at the question. What the hell were wormwood and asphodel? Where was Yukio when they needed him? He'd know the answer.

Harry answered quietly, "I don't know, sir."

Snape sneered. "Tut, tut - fame clearly isn't everything," he lectured. Rin sneered at that. He had only known Harry for a week and it was clear to him that his friend always tried to avoid the spotlight as much as possible.

"Let's try again, Potter. Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Snape quizzed. Hermione raised her hand even higher. Rin was just as clueless as Harry was.

' _I don't know! The local drugstore?'_

"I don't know, sir," Harry repeated.

Snape sneered again. "Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"

Rin was on the verge of growling. He wanted to throttle this man for harassing Harry. How was Harry supposed to know all of this on his first day of this class? He wasn't Hermione, who was on the verge of dislocating her shoulder if she kept raising her hand higher than Rin thought possible.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" asked Snape.

Hermione was practically out of her seat at this point.

' _Just call Hermione! It's clear that she knows the answer.'_

"I don't know, sir," Harry answered quietly. "I think Hermione does though, why don't you try her?"

' _Thank you!'_

A few people laughed. Snape, however, was not pleased.

"Sit down!" he snapped at Hermione before bearing down on Harry. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the 'Draught of Living Death.' A bezoar is a stone taken from a stomach from a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which is also goes by the name of aconite. Well, why aren't you all _copying that down_?"

Everyone scrambled to take out their quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape looked at Harry again. "And a point will be taken for your cheek, Potter."

Hermione had to physically hold Rin down in his seat. He hadn't felt this angry since those kids at daycare called him a demon. He had to force himself to calm down.

The class did not improve at all. Everyone was separated into pairs and set to make a simple potion that cured boils. Snape swept around the classroom, criticizing everyone left and right (except Malfoy, who somehow became the teacher's pet). He even criticized Hermione and Rin's potion despite the fact theirs was flawless. The potion was actually very easy for Rin to make. It was almost like a cooking class.

Clouds of acid green smoke and a hissing noise suddenly filled the classroom. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion spilled all over the floor, burning holes into peoples shoes. Everyone hopped upon their stools to avoid the spilt potion while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" Snape snarled, clearing the mess away with a wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Snape ordered Seamus to take Neville to the hospital wing. He then looked around the classroom, looking for someone to blame. His eyes landed on Harry.

"Potter, why didn't you warn him not to add the porcupine quills before taking the caudron off the fire? Another point lost from Gryffindor," said Snape.

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Ron kicked him to shut him up. Rin was about to call Snape out on his unfair treatment toward his friend but Hermione covered his mouth. It took Rin several minutes before he calmed down and Hermione removed her hand.

"The hell was that for?" Rin hissed. "He's clearly bullying Harry."

"I know, but if you try anything you'll be the one getting in trouble," Hermione reasoned. "Gryffindor will lose more points if you say anything."

Rin growled. "If your friends were being bullied, you'd want to stand up for them," he reasoned back.

~0~0~0~

An hour later, everyone left the dungeons in low spirits. Yukio was reading a book on the staircase when the Gryffindors emerged from the dungeons. As soon as he saw Harry, Ron, and Rin, he put his book in his bag and walked over to them.

"Hey guys, how was Potions?" he greeted. The three boys looked at Yukio with the gloomiest faces he'd ever seen. "That bad?"

"Awful."

"Terrible."

"Snape is a dick," Rin grumbled.

"Language, Rin!" Yukio scolded.

"You should have seen the way Snape treated Harry," Rin complained. "Neville accidentally melted Seamus's cauldron and Snape blamed Harry! He wasn't even Neville's partner!"

"That does seem a little harsh," Yukio agreed.

"'A little harsh?!'" Rin repeated exasperatedly. "How about 'completely unfair?'"

Harry continued to listen to the twins talk about the disastrous Potions class. He still did not understand. Why did Snape hate him so much?

"Cheer up," said Ron, snapping Harry out of his thoughts. "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I meet Hagrid with you guys?"

"Sure."

The four boys made their way across the grounds to Hagrid's cottage on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was a small wooden house with a pointed, straw roof and smoke drifted lazily from the chimney. A warm, welcoming glow came from the windows, and leaning against the large front door was a crossbow and a pair of galoshes.

Harry knocked on the door and the four boys were surprised to hear a frantic scrambling noise from inside and several booming barks.

"Back, Fang, back!" Hagrid's voice rang out from the other side of the door.

"Fang?" Rin asked.

Yukio shrugged. "He must own a dog or something," he guessed.

A man's big, hairy face poked out of the door. "Hang on," he said before disappearing back into the house. "Back, Fang!"

The door finally opened to reveal the man known as Hagrid standing in the doorway, struggling to keep hold of the thick, leather collar of a big, black boarhound. Hagrid was a giant of a man. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but Rin could kind of make out his eyes which glinted like black beetles underneath his bushy eyebrows.

"Hello, there!" Hagrid greeted cheerfully. "Come in, come in."

It was a one-room cottage. Hams and pheasants hung from the ceiling beams and a copper kettle was boiling over an open fire. In the corner stood a massive bed covered with a patchwork quilt.

"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight for Ron, flattening him as the dog licked his ears. It was clear to the Okumura twins that Fang was as friendly as Hagrid was despite their intimidating sizes.

"That's Ron," Harry introduced.

Hagrid glanced over as he poured boiling water into a large teapot.

"Another Weasley, eh?" Hagrid chuckled as he placed the pot and a plate of rock cakes on the table. "I spent half my life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest." He then glanced at Rin and Yukio, who took the hint.

"I'm Yukio Okumura," he introduced himself. "And this is my twin brother, Rin."

"Hi!" Rin chirped.

"Pleasure to meet ya," Hagrid greeted. He then offered everyone rock cakes, but after nearly breaking their teeth twice, everyone gave up trying to eat them. Rin wondered if the cakes really were made of rocks covered in dough and sugar.

The four boys then filled Hagrid in about their week so far. They all beamed when Hagrid called Filch 'that old git.'

"An' as fer that cat he has - Mrs. Norris - I'd like to introduce her to Fang some time. D'yeh know every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her! Filch puts her up to it," Hagrid complained.

"Think Kuro could try and distract her?" Rin asked Yukio.

Yukio shook his head. "Doubt it," he said.

Harry then told Hagrid about Potions class but, like Ron, Hagrid didn't seem too worried about the greasy-haired man's attitude towards him.

"But he seems to _really_ hate me," Harry insisted.

"Rubbish," Hagrid scoffed. "Why should he?"

"You should have been there, Hagrid," Rin confirmed. "He asked Harry questions he didn't know the answers to. He even criticized the potion Hermione and I made and we were making them correctly."

"Nonsense," Hagrid dismissed.

"You were actually doing schoolwork correctly?" Yukio asked in disbelief.

A tick mark appeared on Rin's forehead. "I'm good at _some_ subjects, thank you very much," he defended.

"Did you actually do some of the work or did you let Hermione do it all?" Yukio questioned.

More tick marks appeared. "What'd you say?!" Rin challenged.

Hagrid then rapidly changed the subject by asking Ron about Charlie's work with dragons in Romania. Rin dropped the subject and picked up his teacup to take a sip.

Harry noticed a copy of the wizarding newspaper, the _Daily Prophet_ , underneath the doily where Rin's teacup sat.

"Hagrid!" Harry exclaimed. "That Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might have happened while we were there!"

"There was a break-in at Gringotts?" Rin asked for clarity.

"I thought breaking into Gringotts was impossible!" Yukio exclaimed. He read the plaque when he, Rin, and Shiro visited the bank. Needless to say that trying to rob Gringotts would be a stupid idea.

Hagrid just avoided the boys' eyes and offered them more rock cakes.

* * *

 **Yeah, like I said, a retelling.**

 **If you look at Potions class from a chef's POV, it's kind of like a combination of chemistry and cooking, so this class is definitely up Rin's alley. Let's just hope he can cope with his grouchy teacher.**

 **Keep those reviews coming, folks! The more, the better!**


	9. Broomstick Blunders

**Hello my fellow readers! Things are starting to pick up for our favorite wizards. I have not much to say about this chapter. I tried making this part of Harry Potter my own while staying true to the source material. Pretty tricky.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **Broomstick Blunders**

Before the Okumura brothers knew it, they had spent two weeks at Hogwarts. It was clear to Harry and Ron that Rin was the go-to person for their Potions homework since Rin had a natural talent for the subject. Rin hated doing his homework, but doing it with Ron and Harry made it bearable. Yukio often dragged all three of them to the library to help them, usually to edit and correct any spelling mistakes (and clean up the splotches Ron's quill left on his parchment).

Yukio entered the Great Hall for breakfast on Monday when he noticed Rin, Ron, and Harry sitting at the Gryffindor table looking gloomy again. Curious, he walked over to where they were sitting.

"Rin? Harry? Ron? What's the matter?" he asked. "Did something happen? You three look miserable."

"We woke up with the worst news ever," Rin moaned.

"We've got flying lessons Thursday with the Slytherins," Ron said.

"I'd rather help Filch with his cleaning duties," Rin growled.

"That's just typical," Harry mumbled darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."

"You don't know that," Yukio assured Harry. "For all you know, you'll be a natural."

"Besides," Ron added, "even though Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, I bet it's all talk. He probably wouldn't know which end is which on a broom!"

That got the redhead's friends to smile.

~0~0~0~

Throughout the week, it felt like Rin got a headache every time Malfoy was nearby, bragging about his so-called flying abilities. He complained loudly about how first years were not allowed to tryout for Quidditch and told long, boastful, and boring stories which always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters ("He doesn't even know what a bicycle is, yet he knows what a helicopter is?" Rin skeptically asked).

Malfoy wasn't the only one though. Seamus Finnigan said that he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Ron would tell anyone who would listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang-glider on Charlie's old broom (Yukio had a hard time believing that story). Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. From what the Okumura twins heard, it's like a combination of European football (aka soccer), American football, and basketball on broomsticks. Rin automatically wanted the Quidditch season to start so he could see the game for himself.

Neville had never been on a broom in his whole life because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Rin and Harry understood why. Neville has had an extraordinary number of accidents on the ground already.

Hermione was almost as nervous as Neville was. Yukio knew that flying was not something one could learn from a book alone - not that Hermione tried. At breakfast on Thursday, she bored everyone stupid with flying tips she had gotten from a library book called _Quidditch Through the Ages_. Neville was the only one hanging on her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broom later. Everyone was relieved when the morning post finally arrived.

Rin was surprised that an owl dropped an envelope on his plate. Looking at the letter, he recognized the handwriting as Shiro's. He hastily opened the letter and read it.

 _Dear Rin,_

 _How is Hogwarts treating you? Yukio wrote to me last week to tell me how your first week was and I'm happy that you two have made some new friends. No, not just happy. Proud! I know that you've had difficulties making friends back home, so I'm glad that you've found a group of kids to hang out with. Keep being yourself so you can make memories you can look back on with a smile._

 _I'm also happy you're behaving yourself and not getting into fights. Yukio and your friends must be doing a bang up job keeping you in line._

 _I had a feeling Potions class was going to be your strong suit. It's kind of like cooking if you think about it. Try not to let the teacher get to you. If he's as big a prick as you and your brother make him out to be, then maybe he's trying to bring out the best in you. Trust me, I've had teachers like him when I was your age and I always thrived in their classes because of their rotten attitudes._

 _I hope to hear from_ _you_ _soon, not just Yukio. I would appreciate a letter from both of you in the near future. If you ever see Professor Dumbledore, tell him I said 'hello!'_

 _Love you both,_

 _Dad_

Rin smiled at the letter. It was nice that his dad was thinking about him and Yukio. Speaking of which, Rin would have to thank Yukio for staying in contact with their father.

Harry noticed Rin's letter. "Is that from your dad?" he inquired.

Rin looked up and nodded with a smile. "Yeah. Yukio's been keeping in touch with him. So much has happened lately that I've forgotten to write to him," he said. "I need to remember to do that this weekend."

Rin didn't notice but Harry looked at him with a little envy. While Rin and Yukio did not have or know their mother, they still had their father to raise and love them (or at least their adoptive father). Ron had his parents and numerous siblings. Harry had neither. All he had were his aunt, uncle, and cousin who saw him as the equivalent of a dead cockroach. He didn't even know what his parents looked like.

Neville, meanwhile, had opened a package from his grandmother. Inside was a glass ball that filled itself with white smoke when he held it in his hand.

"What's that thing?" Rin asked. "It looks like a mini crystal ball."

"It's a Remembrall," Neville explained. "Gran knows I forget things - this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, if you hold it tight like this and if it turns red - oh…" His face fell as his Remembrall turned scarlet. "...you've forgotten something."

"So what did you forget?" Rin inquired.

Neville tried to remember but Draco Malfoy, who was walking past the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall from Neville's hand. Harry, Ron, and Rin stood up immediately. Rin was eager for a fight with Malfoy. The pale-faced prick needed to be knocked down a few pegs.

Professor McGonagall, who could smell trouble a mile away, was there in a flash. "What is going on here?" she asked.

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, professor," Neville hastily told her.

Scowling at being robbed of any fun, Malfoy quickly put the sphere on the table. "Just looking," he said and walked away with Crabbe and Goyle close behind him.

"Next time, ask!" Rin called out.

~0~0~0~

Three-thirty came all too soon for Rin and his friends. They reluctantly made their way onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. The Slytherins were already there, standing close to two rows of old broomsticks. Rin thought they looked like the kind of broomsticks witches flew on in horror movies. Standing in front of the broomsticks was a grey-haired witch with piercing amber hawk-like eyes named Madam Hooch.

"Everyone stand by a broom," Madam Hooch instructed. "Come on, hurry up!"

Everyone stood next to a old broom. Judging from how old, battered, and the amount of twigs sticking out in different directions the brooms had, Rin didn't think any of these brooms could even sweep up a single dust bunny.

"Stick out your right hand over the broom and say, 'Up!'" Hooch instructed.

"Up!" everyone called. Harry and Rin's brooms shot straight up into their hands. Ron's broom simply hit him in the face, which Harry and Rin thought was hilarious ("Shut up, you guys," Ron grumbled). Neville's didn't move at all and Hermione's just rolled over.

Then Madam Hooch showed everyone how to hold and mount their broomsticks. The trio smirked when Hooch told Malfoy that he had been holding his broom wrong for years ("So how did you avoid that helicopter again?" Rin mockingly asked Malfoy).

"Now, when I blow my whistle you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your broom steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle, three -"

Neville suddenly pushed off hard before the whistle was even blown. He was way too nervous for this. No matter how many times Madam Hooch screamed for Neville to come back to the ground, he just floated higher and higher. The broom was obviously out of Neville's control. It rose higher and higher, slamming him into the walls like a bucking horse. He soon slipped off his broom.

 _CRASH! CRACK!_

Rin, Harry, Ron and the other Gryffindors winced when they heard a reverberating crack come from Neville as he crashed to the ground. Madam Hooch hurriedly ran over to Neville, her face as white as his.

"...Yep. Broken wrist," she tutted. She gently helped Neville to his feet. "Come on, boy, it's all right - up you get."

Hooch turned to the rest of the class.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy up to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts faster than you can say 'Quidditch!'"

As soon as she and Neville disappeared into the castle, Malfoy and the other Slytherins burst into laughter.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?" he laughed.

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Parvati Patil.

Rin was ready to shove his broomstick up Malfoy's ass.

"Look, it's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

Everyone looked in Malfoy's direction and saw that he was holding Neville' Remembrall in his hand. He must have dropped it when he fell off his broom.

Harry then stepped forward.

"Give it here, Malfoy," he demanded.

Malfoy gave Harry a nasty smile. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find it," he replied. He ran over to his broomstick and took off. "How about up a tree?"

Rin and Ron dropped their jaws. Malfoy wasn't exaggerating. He really was a good flyer. Despite Hermione's warnings, Harry grabbed his broomstick and took off as well.

"Yukio was right. Harry really is a natural," Ron said enviously.

"Who would have thought?" Rin responded.

Malfoy then threw the Remembrall and Harry sped off toward it. It was close, but Harry managed to catch it before it hit the ground. The Gryffindors applauded Harry's performance as he landed.

"HARRY POTTER!"

Everyone turned and saw Professor McGonagall storming towards them. Her glasses flashed dangerously and her face was red with anger. " _Never_ \- in all my years -" she started. " - How _dare_ you - might have broken your neck -"

"It wasn't Harry's fault," Rin defended.

" _Silence_ , Mr. Okumura," McGonagall hissed.

"But Malfoy…" Ron started.

"That's _enough_ , Mr. Weasley!" she snapped. She rounded at Harry, who flinched. "Potter, follow me now!" she ordered. Harry followed glumly back to the castle. Malfoy, along with Crabbe and Goyle, had triumphant smirks.

Rin had had enough of Malfoy's antics. He stomped over to Malfoy and grabbed his robes.

"You're in for it now, Malfoy!" Rin roared. "You're gonna pay for getting Harry in trouble!"

Ron, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnigan had to break Rin away from Malfoy.

"Calm down, Rin," Ron pleaded.

"Malfoy's not worth it," Seamus reasoned.

Rin was not giving up. "Gimme ten minutes with that prick! Just me and him! He'll be sorry for what he did when I'm done with him!" he threatened. His fellow Gryffindors had to tighten their grips on Rin's robes.

"He's stronger than I thought!" Seamus exclaimed through gritted teeth.

"You'll get in trouble if you don't calm down, Rin!" Dean grunted.

"Is everything alright, boys?" Madam Hooch asked as she returned to her students.

Rin calmed down, knowing that the opportunity to avenge Harry had passed.

"Yes, ma'am," Rin grumbled as his classmates finally released him.

~0~0~0~

Rin and Ron sat in the Great Hall during dinner, but neither of them felt like eating. Harry still hadn't returned and both of them were worried. Rin told Yukio about what happened, but he assured his brother that word would have spread like wildfire if Harry was expelled. This did little to reassure Rin.

"I can't believe McGonagall wouldn't even listen to us!" Ron exclaimed. "It wasn't even Harry's fault."

"I know!" Rin exclaimed, stabbing his kidney pie with his fork vengefully. "Since when is sticking up for Neville against the rules? If Harry gets expelled for that, I'm gonna talk to Dumbledore about this."

"I'm with you," Ron agreed. Both boys gave each other a thumbs-up as a salute.

Harry suddenly dashed into the Great Hall with a big smile on his face. "Guys! You'll never guessed what happened!" he exclaimed. He then explained that, instead of getting in trouble, he was given the position of Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"You're joking!" Ron exclaimed excitedly.

"Aw, I'm jealous!" Rin exclaimed with a smile.

Several Gryffindors came up to Harry to congratulate him on his success, including Fred and George, who were also on the Quidditch team. Their evening was going well until Malfoy and his goons approached sneeringly.

"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting on the train back to the Muggles?" Malfoy taunted.

"Not even in your dreams, Malfoy," Rin remarked as he helped himself to a cupcake for dessert.

"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Please, Potter, I'd take you on _anytime_!" he challenged. He suddenly paused and smiled. "Tonight, if you want, actually. Wizard's duel. Wands only - no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"

"Of course, he has," Ron interjected. "And I'm his second. Who's yours?"

Malofy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.

"Crabbe," he decided. "Midnight it is, then. We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked. That is, so long as you don't chicken out, Potter."

"You wish, Malfoy," Harry said threateningly.

When Malfoy was gone, the three friends looked at each other.

"What _is_ a wizard's duel?" asked Harry. "And what did you mean you're my second?"

"I think the name 'wizard's duel' speaks for itself," said Rin. "It's a fight between two wizards."

"And a second's there to take over if you die," Ron added casually. Catching the looks of horror from Harry and Rin's faces, Ron quickly added, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. I bet he expected you to refuse anyway."

"Mind if I come?" asked Rin. "If all else fails, I can always give Malfoy a bloody nose."

"Good idea," Ron commented.

" _Excuse me_?!"

The three boys looked up and saw Hermione Granger standing next to them.

"Can we help you?" Rin asked irritably.

"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" Ron asked.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you guys and Malfoy were saying -"

"Bet you could," Ron muttered.

"-and you _mustn't_ go wandering around the school at night. Think of the points you'll cost Gryffindor if you three are caught, and you're bound to be. It'd be really selfish of you all to go," Hermione reasoned.

"And it's really none of your business," said Harry.

"Goodbye," said Ron as Rin shooed the bushy-haired girl away with his hand.

~0~0~0~

Hermione left the Great Hall in a huff. Didn't those three know that this midnight duel was a bad idea? She looked up and saw Yukio coming down the stairs with three other Ravenclaw boys in tow. An idea popped into Hermione's head. Yukio was Rin's brother. Maybe he could talk some sense into his brother and his friends.

"Yukio!"

Yukio looked in Hermione's direction. "Hello, Hermione," he greeted. He turned to his friends. "Save me a seat. I'll be with you shortly."

Yukio's friends entered the Great Hall, leaving him and Hermione alone.

"What's going on?" Yukio inquired.

"You need to talk to your brother and his friends," said Hermione. "They're planning to dueling Malfoy tonight at midnight."

Yukio's eyebrows shot up. "Rin's going to do what?!" he exclaimed.

"Malfoy challenged Harry to a duel and Ron and Rin are going to accompany him," Hermione explained.

Yukio let out a frustrated growl. "That idiot! Dad doesn't want him to get into trouble. Thanks, Hermione. I'll go talk to him."

Yukio stormed into the Great Hall to talk some sense into his idiot brother.

~0~0~0~

Rin was just finishing his milk when Yukio marched towards him.

"Hi, Yukio!" Rin greeted. Ron and Harry waved.

"What's this I hear about a duel with Malfoy?" Yukio asked, getting straight to the point.

Ron's jaw dropped, causing the pudding he was eating to fall onto his plate. "I can't believe she told already!" he exclaimed.

"At least she told Yukio and not a teacher," Harry muttered.

Yukio turned to Harry. "You can't go through with this," he told him.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"One, it'll be breaking the rules. Filch will be on patrol for anyone who breaks curfew. And two, how do you know that this isn't a trick? I don't know Malfoy as well as you guys do, but he doesn't seem like a trustworthy person," Yukio reasoned.

"If he wusses out, then he's a bigger chicken than I thought," said Rin.

"That's not the point, Rin," Yukio argued.

"Relax, Yukio," assured Ron. "We'll make sure Filch doesn't catch us."

"I'll ask Fred and George about Filch," said Rin. "They seem to know their way around the castle. Maybe they know how to avoid him."

"Good idea," said Harry.

"Are you guys even listening to me?!" Yukio exclaimed. The three Gryffindors looked at the Ravenclaw. "This has bad idea written all over it!"

"If I don't go through with this, Malfoy will never let it down," said Harry. "You don't know Malfoy like we do, Yukio. He's been tormenting us since the term started. We need to put him in his place."

Yukio sighed. "Nothing I say will stop you, will it?" he asked.

"Nope," they said.

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm coming with you," he said.

"WHAT?!" the three boys exclaimed.

Yukio folded his arms. "I'm coming with you to make sure you guys don't do anything stupid and to say, 'I told you so' when this whole thing goes downhill," he said adamantly.

Harry, Ron, and Rin looked at each other before facing Yukio.

"Fine, you can come," said Ron.

"But you can't tell anyone," said Harry, "especially the teachers."

"I'm not a rat," said Yukio.

"You better not tell Dad about this either," said Rin.

* * *

 **People have been asking me if Rin's powers will appear earlier than canon. I haven't really decided that yet. I'm still trying to figure out how to give the Golden Trio temptaints (although I have a few ideas...).**

 **I'm letting Yukio join the gang to the midnight duel. He's part of the group so it's only fair that he tags along too.**

 **Please review! A lot of people are following this story. Don't be afraid to leave a review!**


	10. The Midnight Duel

**Well, this one was kind of short. Another retelling of Harry's midnight "duel" with Malfoy.**

 **Make sure to read the notes at the end of this chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **The Midnight Duel**

"Half-past eleven," Ron muttered. "We better go."

Harry and Rin nodded and pocketed their wands. The three boys walked downstairs and into the common room. They were about to leave the portrait hole when a voice spoke from a chair nearest to them, "I can't believe you're going to do this."

All three of them turned in surprise as a lamp flickered on. It was Hermione.

" _You_!" Harry said.

"Are you trying to give us heart attacks?" Rin gasped.

"Go back to bed!" Ron hissed.

"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped. "Percy - he's a prefect, you know; he'd put a stop to this." She then turned to Rin. "I spoke to _your_ brother. I'm surprised that he wasn't able to talk you out of this."

"We know you told him," said Rin. "But that's not gonna stop us from dueling Malfoy."

Harry couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering. "Come on," he said to Rin and Ron as he pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole. Hermione refused to give up. She followed them out into the hallway.

"Don't you _care_ about Gryffindor? Do you _only_ care about yourselves? _I_ don't want Slytherin to win the House Cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor Shura for knowing -"

Rin gripped his head. "Ugghhh! It's like listening to a broken record! Do you ever shut up?!" he asked angrily.

Hermione frowned. "Fine, but I warned you. You just remember… oh no…"

The trio turned to see what Hermione was upset about and nearly laughed out loud. Poor Hermione was facing an empty portrait, meaning she was stuck outside the Gryffindor common room until the Fat Lady returned.

" _Now_ what am I going to do?" she asked in despair.

"Don't know, don't care," Rin answered nonchalantly.

"...I'm coming with you," said Hermione.

"NO!" the boys exclaimed.

Hermione put her hands on her hips. "Do you three _honestly_ think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me?" she asked.

"Frankly, yes," Rin answered.

"If he finds all four of us out here, I'll tell him the truth," Hermione threatened. "That I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."

"You've got some nerve -" Ron started loudly.

Harry interrupted sharply, "Shut up, both of you! I think I heard something."

All four were silent as they listened to what sounded like snuffling.

"Is it Mrs. Norris?" Ron breathed.

It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was fast asleep on the floor but he jerked himself awake when the quartet approached him.

"Thank goodness you found me," Neville said sleepily. "I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the password to get in."

"Keep it down, Neville," Rin whispered.

"The password's 'Pig Snout' but it won't help you now. The Fat Lady's gone off somewhere," said Harry.

"Oh no!" Neville cried despairingly.

"Shut up!" Ron hissed.

Rin then looked at Neville's arm. "By the way, how's your wrist?"

"Fine, now that Madam Pomfrey mended it," said Neville.

"Good," said Ron. "Well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere. We'll see you -"

"Don't leave me!" Neville cried as he scrambled to his feet.

Ron checked his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville. "If any of us gets caught, I'll never rest until I've learned the Curse of the Bogies Quirrel told us about and use it on you," he warned.

"Likewise," Rin added.

~0~0~0~

The group was halfway to the trophy room when they saw movement coming from behind a nearby tapestry. Everyone held their breath until the culprit revealed himself.

"Thought you guys were never going to show up."

Yukio Okumura stepped out from behind the tapestry.

"Yukio!" Ron breathed. "We thought you were Filch!"

"He hasn't made his rounds in this area yet," said Yukio. He then noticed Hermione and Neville in the group. "What are you two doing here?"

"I tried stopping them…" Hermione started.

"But then she stupidly followed us out of the common room and was locked out," Rin finished with a smug grin, earning him a contempted look from Hermione.

Yukio then turned to Neville for an explanation.

"I forgot the password," Neville whimpered.

"Sorry to hear that."

"Come on," said Harry. "We're going to be late."

~0~0~0~

When the group finally made it to the trophy room, they found that Malfoy and Crabbe had not arrived yet. Yukio kept an eye on one door while Rin did the same with the other in case Malfoy decided to do a sneak attack. The minutes ticked by and no Malfoy.

"He's late," Harry commented worriedly.

"Maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.

"I knew it," Rin muttered. "What a wuss!"

A sudden noise in the next room made everyone jump. Harry and Ron had their wands out, ready to duel, when they heard someone speak - and it wasn't Malfoy.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."

Everyone blanched.

"It's Filch!" Rin hissed.

"Shut it, he'll hear you!" Harry hissed back as he waved for everyone to follow him out of the room. They scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes were barely around the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.

"They're in here somewhere," he muttered, "probably hiding."

"This way!" Harry mouthed to the others. They began to hurry down a long gallery of suits of armor when Neville tripped and fell on Yukio, who knocked over a suit of armor, causing metallic clanging and crashing to echo through the halls.

"RUN!" Harry yelled, seeing no point in keeping quiet anymore. Everyone bolted down the corridor. They didn't even know where they were running until they all stopped to catch their breath. They found themselves outside the Charms classroom, which was located on the other side of the castle, far away from the trophy room.

Harry leaned against the wall. "I… think we lost him," he panted, trying to catch his breath.

"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione pointed out. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you. He must have tipped Filch off."

"I told you it was a trick," Yukio said to Rin and the others.

Tick marks appeared on Rin, Ron, and Harry's heads.

"Shut up, Yukio," Rin growled.

"You don't need to rub it in," Ron grumbled.

Yukio held his hands up in surrender. "I said I was going to say it when this whole thing blew up in your faces," he defended.

"Nevermind," said Ron. "Let's just get back to Gryffindor Tower and fast."

They all agreed and were about to leave when Peeves the poltergeist phased through the wall of one of the classrooms. Everyone panicked, knowing that Peeves would only cause trouble. He saw them and squealed in delight.

"Wandering at night, ickle firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty," he sang.

"Not if you give us away, we won't! Please, Peeves," Hermione begged.

"Should tell Filch, I should," Peeves said innocently, though the devilish grin on his face said otherwise. "It's for your own good, you know."

"Go away, Peeves!" Rin snapped and took a swipe at him.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED! Students out of bed down the Charms corridor!" Peeves bellowed.

"Nice going, Rin," Yukio said to his brother as they all ran underneath Peeves and slammed into the door at the end of the corridor.

"Locked!" Rin gasped as he tugged at the door as hard as he could. Filch could be heard running towards Peeves.

"That's it," Ron moaned. "We're done for."

"It was nice knowing you guys," Rin whimpered.

Hermione rolled her eyes and snatched Harry's wand from his hand. "Oh, move over!" she ordered as she shoved him out of the way. She pointed his wand at the door. " _Alohamora_!"

The six first years piled into the room and shut the door. Harry, Ron, and Rin put their ears against the door to listen for Filch and Peeves. Judging from what they could hear, Peeves was giving Filch a hard time, like usual.

"I think they're gone," said Rin.

"He thinks the door's locked," whispered Ron.

"It _was_ locked," corrected Hermione.

"I think we'll be okay," said Harry. "Get _off_ , Neville!"

Neville whimpered and let go of Harry's sleeve.

"What's wrong, Neville?" asked Yukio.

Neville pointed to what had him so afraid. Everyone stared at what he was pointing at and blanched. They were looking at three pairs of eyes that belonged to a giant three-headed dog. It was so big, it almost filled the entire room from floor to ceiling.

Everyone realized that they were standing in the forbidden corridor. They all screamed in unison.

Harry flung the door open and everyone flew to Gryffindor Tower (Yukio split away and fled to Ravenclaw Tower). They didn't see Filch, thank goodness, but they didn't care. All that mattered was getting as far away from that giant dog as possible. They didn't stop until they reached the Fat Lady's portrait. Luckily, the Fat Lady had returned.

"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, observing their terrified and sweaty faces.

"Nevermind that," Harry gasped. "Pig snout, pig snout!"

The portrait flung open and everyone dove in. They all collapsed onto the floor and into armchairs and sofas. For awhile, no one said anything, just gasping for air after fleeing from the monster in the forbidden corridor. Poor Neville looked borderline catatonic.

"What… the… _hell_ was that?!" Rin panted.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" Ron asked exasperatedly. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

Hermione managed to find her voice and her bad attitude again. "You lot don't use your eyes, do you?" she asked. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I was too busy staring at its heads."

"Kind of hard to look away from them," Rin added.

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh. "It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something," she explained.

"Like we said, we weren't looking at the floor!" Rin exclaimed.

Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up. "Well, I'm going to bed before one of you comes up with _another_ clever idea to get us killed - or worse, _expelled_!" she exclaimed. She turned and marched up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

All three boys, plus Neville, stared at where she disappeared.

"She needs to sort out her priorities," Ron commented.

Harry, Rin, and Neville just nodded in agreement.

~0~0~0~

As soon as Yukio was safe and sound in the Ravenclaw dormitory, he collapsed into an armchair and tried to get his breathing under control to avoid a panic attack. His mind was racing.

What was a cerberus doing at Hogwarts? Moreover, how did everyone else see it? As far as Yukio knew, Hermione and Neville didn't have temptaints. And Rin told him that Harry and Ron didn't have one either. Also, how could Rin see the cerberus? His demon powers have not manifested themselves yet, so how? Was the seal on his powers weakening?

Yukio sighed and made his way up to his dorm. So many questions, so little answers. Perhaps if he went to bed, he'd wake up with a clearer mind and be able to figure out what was going on at Hogwarts.

* * *

 **These are questions I need help with. I've been thinking of explanations but I don't know if they're too ludicrous or not. Need your opinions ASAP!**

 **First, I'd like to thank my guest reviewer, Faith1o1, for giving me some ideas that I will definitely take into consideration.**

 **Second, some reviewers are asking me why Rin and Yukio can speak English when they're originally from Japan. The answer is, I'm ignoring the language barrier. Too much of a hassle. Do you have any idea how often the language barrier is ignored in movies, TV, etc.? Think about it.**

 **Also, should I include the Exwires in this story as well? Well, not _this_ story, per say, but the other books (if I get enough demands to write the others, of course).**


	11. Halloween

**Whew! This took a long time for me to write! I made this longer than my usual chapters, so I'm expecting LOTS OF REVIEWS!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **Halloween**

Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes the following morning when he saw Harry, Rin, and Ron enter the Great Hall looking tired but cheerful. Rin lowered his lower eyelid and stuck out his tongue in the Slytherin's direction.

Neville made it his personal mission to never go near that corridor again. To the boys' delight, Hermione refused to speak to them. It didn't bother them. Now they didn't have to listen to her nagging all the time.

Harry told Ron and Rin about the details about the day of the Gringotts break-in and how he and Hagrid were there earlier to retrieve a grubby little package from the vault that was broken into. All three concluded that whatever Hagrid took from the vault was now at Hogwarts being guarded by that three-headed dog.

"Whatever it is, it must be either very valuable or very powerful," Ron concluded.

"Or both," said Harry.

"Any ideas on what it is?" asked Rin. "You said that your dad works for the Ministry, right Ron? Has he ever talked about any magical artifacts that are either powerful or valuable?"

Ron shook his head no. "My dad works at the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. He doesn't deal with any powerful magical artifacts," he explained.

"Surely, he must have mentioned something," said Harry. "Maybe he knows someone who does?"

Ron shook his head again. "I don't think I'm going to tell him. If I did, my mum would know and she'd go ballistic."

Rin thought about that for a moment and nodded. It made sense. If Ron told his parents their suspicions, he'd have to tell them he was breaking the rules the night he and his friends stumbled into the forbidden corridor.

"Let's change the subject," said Rin. "Let's think of ways to get back at Malfoy for tricking us."

~0~0~0~

Yukio knocked on Professor Shura's office door. The teacher answered, looking like she literally just crawled out of bed. She had her hair down from her usual ponytail and was wearing a purple kimono that were no doubt her pajamas.

"'Mornin', Chicken," Shura yawned. "Never expected you of all people to come to me for help on your homework."

"I'm not here to talk about my homework," Yukio said all business-like. "I need to talk to you about something I saw last night."

Shura yawned again and gestured him to enter. When Yukio had settled into a chair in front of Shura's desk, he told her everything that happened last night. From Malfoy's challenge to a "duel" to the group's run-in with the cerberus. When Yukio was finished, he was amazed that Shura was not surprised in the least that there was a demon in the castle.

"Why aren't you surprised?" Yukio asked.

"Should I be?" Shura asked back.

Yukio looked at his teacher in shock. "Yes! There's a cerberus in the castle!" he exclaimed in exasperation.

"It's not a cerberus," said Shura. "It's just a plain, old three-headed dog. A cerberus is a three-headed dog that has snakes protruding from various parts of its body."

"Should we be concerned?" asked Yukio.

"Nope," Shura answered with a popping noise.

"Why not?"

"He's trained," Shura answered.

"Trained to do what?"

"None of your business."

Yukio frowned. "That's not an answer."

"That's what you're gonna get," Shura said nonchalantly.

"There's a monster in the castle," Yukio repeated. "Why aren't you doing something about it?"

"Reasons," Shura simply said.

"Shura!"

"Look, I'm not allowed to say who, what, when, where, or why, okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said!" Shura answered, now starting to sound annoyed. "Now, is there anything else you wanna talk about or can I go get dressed?"

Yukio paused for a moment before answering. "Rin and his friends. They could see the dog. None of them have temptaints," he said. "Can they get one from it?"

"Like I said, the dog is not a demon."

Yukio pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just answer the question," he said.

It was Shura's turn to pause, although it seemed like she was trying to find the right words to say something.

"You want to know a little secret?" she asked. "Demons aren't the only creatures to give people temptaints."

Yukio blinked. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Technically, people can get temptaints from magical creatures too," Shura explained.

Yukio's jaw dropped. "WHAT?!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah. Huge discovery," she explained. "When the Magical branch of the Knights of the True Cross reopened, exorcists discovered that some magical creatures, like a dragon or a hippogriff for example, can give people temptaints."

"Why didn't Dad say anything to me?" asked Yukio as Shura got up and walked to her bookshelf.

"For starters, the Magical branch reopened shortly after Shiro met Dumbledore. Harry Potter hadn't even been conceived yet. Plus, the relationship between wizards and exorcists is still shaky to this day," Shura explained. "The Knights of the True Cross had to reevaluate what was a demon and what was a magical creature. It took several years. We had just finished when you started your training. Shiro probably wanted to wait until you were a full-fledged exorcist before telling you."

"How did they do that?" Yukio asked.

Shura plopped a large book on her desk and slid it toward Yukio. The title read _Demons and Magical Creatures: What's the Difference?_ on the cover.

"The author of this book helped us out a ton," said Shura.

"Newt Scamander? The author of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_?" Yukio asked in surprise.

Shura nodded. "Yeah. Nice guy. A little quirky, but nice. You won't believe the crazy stories he told the True Cross," she said. "When we told him about demons, he was immediately onboard with us. Very eager to learn about demons. I don't think he even noticed the dirty looks the other exorcists often gave him."

"I guess it goes without saying that he had a temptaint," Yukio assumed.

"He had the bite marks to prove it."

"So, if a Muggle gets a temptaint, does that mean he or she can see certain magical creatures?" Yukio asked, remembering from Scamander's best-seller that certain magical creatures could only be seen by witches and wizards.

"Nope," Shura replied. "Doesn't work that way. Doesn't matter if the temptaint came from a magical creature or a demon. Temptaints only make you see demons. Don't ask me why that is, I don't quite understand it myself." Shura looked at the book on her desk. "You can borrow that book for a few days. It'll be enlightening."

~0~0~0~

A week later, Harry received a rather large package during the morning post at breakfast. Judging by the size and shape of the package, it had to be a broomstick. Harry read the letter that came with it and handed it to his friends to read.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously.

"I'm so jealous!" Rin added, though he had a big smile on his face that said quite the opposite.

The three left the Great Hall to hide it in Gryffindor Tower. They were halfway across the entrance hall when they bumped into Malfoy and his goons. He snatched the package away from Harry and felt it.

"That's a broomstick," he snarled with anger and jealousy written all over his pale face. "You're in for it now, Potter. First years aren't allowed them."

"Not just any broomstick, Malfoy," said Rin in glee.

Ron was just as gleeful. "It's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you got at home, Malfoy?"

"Comet Two-Sixty," Rin recalled. "He's told that stupid helicopter story so many times, I've practically memorized it."

Ron laughed and looked at Rin and Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus," he explained.

Rin snickered at Malfoy. "In other words, your broomstick is as average as everyone else's," he sang.

Malfoy's face turned bright pink. "You live with Muggles, Okumura. You don't even own a broomstick. And what would you know about it, Weasley? You can't even afford half the handle of a broomstick," he snapped. "I suppose you and your family save up twig by twig."

Before Ron could make a good comeback, Professor Flitwick appeared near Goyle's elbow. "Not arguing I hope, boys?" he inquired.

"Potter's got a broomstick, professor," Malfoy said quickly.

"Tattletale," Rin muttered under his breath.

Flitwick got excited. "Yes, yes, that's right," he squeaked, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me about the special circumstances, Potter. What model is it?"

"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," Harry answered, using every ounce of willpower not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face (Rin and Ron were doing the same as well). "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I got it."

The trio walked up the stairs, smothering their laughter until Professor Flitwick was gone and let it all out when they got to the boys' dorm in Gryffindor Tower.

"I can't breathe!" Rin laughed. The look on Malfoy's face would forever be cemented into his memory until the day he died.

"The look on his face! Priceless!" Ron gasped in-between laughs. "My stomach hurts!"

"Well, it's true," said Harry as he wiped a tear from his eye. "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall, I wouldn't be on the team."

"So, I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking the rules?" asked a very angry voice. The laughter immediately died when the boys discovered Hermione standing in the doorway looking at them and the package still in Harry's hands.

"I thought you weren't talking to us," said Harry.

"Yeah, don't stop now," added Ron. "It's doing so much good."

"I just got over the headache you gave me the night of the duel," Rin added. "I don't want a new one."

Hermione responded by marching away with her nose stuck in the air.

"Well, let's forget about her and open up that package!" said Rin.

Ron was immediately onboard with that idea. "Yeah, let's see the Nimbus Two Thousand!" he said excitedly.

Harry immediately smiled and nodded. He unwrapped the package and stared in awe at the broomstick on his bedspread.

"Wow!" Ron breathed.

Rin could only stare at it, stars glittering in his eyes. It had to be the most beautiful broomstick he'd ever laid eyes on.

~0~0~0~

The month passed faster than anyone realized. The next thing everyone knew, it was Halloween.

Upon entering the Great Hall for breakfast that morning, Rin thought Halloween was the wizarding world's Christmas. Decorations were everywhere. The scent of pumpkin wafted through the halls all day. Rin immediately knew that the house elves were cooking up a lot of pumpkin dishes for later tonight. He kind of wished he was in the kitchens right now to help them cook but knew that he would be turned down (he tried helping them cook dinner one evening only for Dolly to demand that he'd leave).

In Charms later that day, Professor Flitwick announced that they would finally be making objects fly, to everyone's excitement ever since the day he made Neville's toad zoom around the room. Everyone was divided into pairs. Harry was paired with Dean Thomas while Rin was paired with Seamus Finnigan. Unfortunately for Ron, he was paired up with Hermione. Rin couldn't tell who was more angry about it. Especially since Hermione hadn't spoken to the boys since the day Harry's broom arrived.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing," Professor Flitwick squeaked, perched on top of his usual pile of books. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important too. Never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

Everyone tried and failed at trying to make their feathers given to them to float in the air. Harry and Dean were having no such luck. Neville, who was paired up with Lavender Brown, was also having no luck.

" _Wingardium Leviosa_!" Rin recited.

Nothing happened.

" _Wingardium Leviosa_!" Seamus tried.

Zilch.

Rin thought about what they were doing wrong when he came up with an idea.

"Let's try saying it together," he suggested. "Imagine how high it will go if we say it together."

Seamus smiled at that idea. "Brilliant!" he agreed.

Both boys got their wands ready.

"On the count of three," said Seamus.

Rin nodded. "One…"

"Two…"

"Three!"

" _WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!_ " both boys recited.

 _BOOM!_

An explosion of multicolored sparks and blue flames erupted from Rin and Seamus's wands. Everyone in the classroom laughed at the pair's misfortune as blue flames consumed their feather. Both of them were covered in soot. Harry did the two a favor by getting them a new feather from Flitwick.

Rin released a black cloud of smoke from his mouth. The tip of a lock of Seamus's hair was lit like a birthday candle.

Meanwhile, Ron wasn't doing so well with his feather either. After several failed attempts and making his arm look like a windmill, Hermione stepped in.

"Okay, stop - stop!" she snapped. "You're saying it all _wrong_! It's Win- _gar_ -dium Levi- _o_ -sa. Make the 'gar' part nice and long."

Ron glared at her. "You do it then, if you're so clever," he snarled.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her robes, flicked her wand, and recited, " _Wingardium Leviosa_!"

The feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

"Oh, well done, Miss Granger!" Professor Flitwick praised, jumping and clapping excitedly. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Ron remained in a foul mood for the rest of the period.

~0~0~0~

"She's a nightmare, honestly," Ron complained as the trio left Charms. "It's no wonder no one can stand her."

Someone pushed past them. All three boys saw that it was Hermione. Rin noticed that there were tears coming down her face.

"I think she heard you," said Harry.

"So?" said Ron, although he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."

A tick mark appeared on Rin's head. He smacked Ron upside the head.

"Ow! Bloody hell, Rin!" Ron exclaimed, rubbing the spot where Rin struck him. "What was that for?"

"Know-it-all or not, making a girl cry is _never_ cool," Rin angrily said. Shiro taught him that lesson after Rin pushed a girl down from the swingset at the park when he was small and made her cry. Needless to say, Rin never made a girl cry again after that.

"Maybe you should apologize," Harry suggested.

Ron's ears turned a little red. "Alright, alright. I'll apologize first chance I get," he grumbled.

Hermione didn't appear for lessons for the rest of the day.

~0~0~0~

Hermione sniffled as a new wave of tears spilled from her eyes. What was the point of going to classes if her classmates were just going to make fun of her for knowing the right answer or for performing a spell correctly?

This was just like how it was before she knew she was a witch. No matter how many correct answers she knew, her classmates could care less. It seemed that her Hogwarts classmates thought the same thing. Her dorm mates spoke to her and were friendly but she didn't share any of their interests and they never asked for her help on their homework.

Tried as she might, Rin Okumura's words from their first Potions lesson still echoed in her head.

" _If your friends were being bullied, you'd want to stand up for them."_

What friends? She didn't have any friends at Hogwarts. That thought alone made more tears fall as Hermione let out a few more sobs.

A horrible smell suddenly made its way into the bathroom…

~0~0~0~

"How could a troll get in?" asked Harry as he and the rest of the students were being evacuated to their respective dormitories.

"Don't ask me. They're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron.

"Maybe Peeves let it in as a Halloween joke," Rin suggested.

As they made their way through a group of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Rin and Ron's arms.

"Hermione! She doesn't know about the troll!" he told them.

Rin paled. "Oh, crap!" he exclaimed.

Ron bit his lip. "Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy better not see us."

Ducking down, the three boys joined the Hufflepuff crowd going the other way, slipped down a deserted corridor, and hurried towards the girls' bathroom. They had just turned a corner when they heard quick footsteps from behind them.

"Percy!" Ron hissed, pulling Harry and Rin behind a large stone griffin. Peering around it, they saw not Percy, but Professor Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"Search me," said Ron.

"Pretty suspicious if you ask me," said Rin. Quiet as mice, they crept along the next corridor after Snapes fading footsteps.

"He's heading for the third floor," said Harry when Ron suddenly held up his hand.

"Do you lot smell something?"

Rin almost passed out when a horrible smell hit his nostrils. It smelled worse than dirty rags, crawfish, and Shiro's socks! The god-awful stench was coming from the ugliest creature Rin had ever laid eyes on. The thing was twelve feet tall, dull grey skin, a lumpy body like a boulder and a small bald head shaped like a coconut. It also had short legs that were thick as tree trunks with flat horny feet. It was holding a large wooden club, which was probably once a big tree, and dragged it along the floor because the troll's arms were so long.

The troll entered a nearby room and the boys slammed the door behind it. The air immediately cleared up.

"Well, that was easy," Rin stated as they walked to the end of the corridor. A scream erupted from the room they shut the troll in. "Spoke too soon!"

"Hermione!" Ron and Harry cried. All three boys ran back to the door to what they now knew was the girls' bathroom, and opened it. To their horror, they saw Hermione crouched in a corner with the troll coming towards her, destroying sinks and bathroom stalls in the process.

"Confuse it!" Harry said. Rin ran towards Hermione (miraculously dodging the troll's club and flying debris) and tried to pull her away from the monster but she was too shocked and afraid to move.

"Oi, pea-brain!" Ron called as he threw a pipe at the troll's head. It didn't feel it, but it heard Ron yell at it.

Rin tugged at Hermione's sleeve. "Come on, Hermione! We gotta go!" he said.

The troll suddenly went berserk because of all the shouting echoing in the room. It turned its beady eyes on Rin and Hermione. Seeing the danger they were in, Rin stood in front of the girl, spreading his arms out in an effort to shield her.

"Leave her alone!" Rin yelled.

The troll lifted its club, ready to crush the two children.

"Rin!" Harry yelled.

"Look out!" Ron cried out.

The troll swung down, but to everyone's surprise, Rin caught it.

With his bare hands.

The club was centimeters from Rin's head. He was using every ounce of strength in his eleven-year-old body to keep the club from squishing him and Hermione.

It seemed the troll was just as surprised as everyone else in the bathroom. It tried lifting its club to squish the children again but Rin did not let go. He and the troll locked eyes with each other.

"I said, 'Leave. Her. ALONE!'"

Blue flames erupted from all over Rin's body, startling everyone, including the troll. It pulled its club away as Rin looked down at his hands and arms, wondering how and why blue flames were coating his body, yet it wasn't burning him or his clothes.

Harry, snapping himself out of this new development, did the only thing he could think of to distract the troll now. He did a great running jump and latched himself onto the troll's neck and shoved his wand up the troll's nose. The troll howled, waving its club around, trying to aim at Harry, who was holding onto the troll for dear life.

" _Wingardium Leviosa_!" Ron recited with a swish and a flick of his wand.

The troll's club was yanked out of its grip. It hovered a few feet in the air before it fell and landed on the troll's coconut head with a loud, sickening crack. The troll swayed and fell, face first, to the floor, sending Harry rolling onto the floor.

The entire bathroom was silent, except for the panting children and the running water from the broken taps.

The four children cautiously approached the unresponsive troll.

"Is… Is it dead?" Hermione asked shakily.

"I don't think so," Harry answered. "I think it's only knocked out." He bent down a pulled his wand out from the troll's nose. The tip of the wand was covered in lumpy grey goo. "Ugh! Troll bogies!" He wiped it on the troll's trousers.

Hermione then looked at Rin, who was now no longer covered in blue flames. "Rin, how did you do that? How did you cover your body in blue flames?" she inquired. While the flames were pretty, there was something… otherworldly about them, almost scary.

Rin looked down at his hands again. "I honestly don't know how I did that," he answered. "It's never happened to me before."

"It's the same shade of blue that always comes out of your wand," Harry stated.

Rin shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you."

Before anyone could talk more about it, a series of footsteps approached the bathroom. Professors McGonagall, Snape, Quirrel, and Shura (who had her sword out) entered and saw the mess the four children were standing in. Quirrel took one look at the troll and started to whimper as he sat down on a toilet. Snape bent over the troll while Shura poked it with her sword.

Professor McGonagall looked at the four of them, her mouth a very thin line, looking very angry. Rin felt a shiver go up and down spine the longer he stared at her.

"What on earth were you lot thinking?" McGonagall asked with a cold fury in her voice. Rin had heard that tone before and that was when Yukio was very, _very_ angry about something (it rarely happened, but when it did it always scared Rin to his core).

"Uh…" Rin croaked as he tried to think of an explanation. He looked around the bathroom. Ron still had his wand out, with a shell-shocked look on his face. Harry's eyes were looking at the floor. Snape was giving Harry a piercing look. Shura was giving them all pitying looks.

"You're lucky you weren't killed," McGonagall scolded. "Why aren't you in the dormitories?"

"Please, professor. They were looking for me." Everyone turned and saw that it was Hermione who spoke.

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione took a deep breath before continuing. "I went looking for the troll because I - I thought I could handle it on my own - you know, since I've read all about them."

Ron dropped his wand. Rin's jaw dropped to the floor. Hermione Granger, telling a downright _lie_ to a _teacher_?! Did a piece of debris hit her head or something?

"Rin protected me from the troll while Harry stuck his wand up its nose. Then Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to fetch anyone for help. It was about to finish me off when they came. If they hadn't come, I'd surely be dead," Hermione explained. Harry, Ron, and Rin nodded, trying to convince their teacher that it was true.

Shura raised an eyebrow, as if she knew that wasn't the truth, but didn't say anything.

"Well, in that case," McGonagall started as she stared at all four of them. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?" Hermione hung her head. This was pretty shocking for the boys. Why was Hermione lying to a teacher to get them out of trouble?

"Pretty stupid decision for a smart girl," added Shura.

McGonagall continued. "Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your foolishness. I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt, you may return to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their dormitories."

Hermione nodded and left with a small "Yes, ma'am."

McGonagall turned to the others who flinched. "Well, I still say you were very lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a fully-grown mountain troll and lived to tell the tale. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

Harry, Ron, and Rin did not hesitate to go. They didn't speak to each other until they climbed two floors up.

"She could have given us more than fifteen points," Ron grumbled.

"Ten you mean, since she's taken off Hermione's," Harry corrected.

It took Rin a few seconds to do some math. "Riiight! Five of our points cancelled out Hermione's lost ones." Harry and Ron rolled their eyes in amusement. "What? I suck at math."

Harry and Ron chuckled. "Pig snout," Harry laughed as they entered the portrait hole.

The common room was crowded and noisy. Everyone was eating their food that was set up in a corner. Hermione stood by the door by herself waiting for them.

There was an awkward pause among the four of them.

"Thanks," they said in unison.

From that day on, Hermione Granger became their friend. Rin found it amusing that all it took was a fight with a troll for all four of them to become friends.

* * *

 **The reason why this took so long for me to update this story was because I had been trying to come up with good excuses about the magical creatures and the demons. I was inspired by one of the stories I've been reading (shout-out to Artdirector123).**


	12. Quidditch

**This chapter is dedicated to the best mom a fanfiction writer can ask for! Love you, Mommy! You're the best!**

 **And a Happy Mother's Day to my readers, my followers, and their mothers! Give your mom an extra hug and kiss today!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **Quidditch**

As soon as the four students left the bathroom, Shura guided Severus to her office to treat the bite on his leg. Minerva insisted that she and Quirinus could handle removing the troll from the school.

"Congratulations on your temptaint, Severus," said Shura.

"Taking me to Madam Pomfrey would be a more efficient solution, Shura," said Snape.

"True, but I'm more experienced in treating temptaints," Shura said confidently. Snape just sneered and sat down in front of Shura's desk. Shura noticed the look on his face and frowned. "Ya know, your face will freeze like that. Loosen up."

"I don't need the opinion or advice of a Squib," Snape grumbled.

Shura hit him upside the head at that comment.

"People will like you more if you say nicer things too," Shura said. "Now, shut up with the insults and pull up your pant leg."

Snape did so, revealing the bloody teeth marks on his lower shin. Shura got to work by wetting a washcloth with holy water and started cleaning the wound.

"So, is that mutt still guarding the door to the you-know-what?" Shura asked in an effort to make conversation.

"Obviously. We wouldn't be having this conversation if someone got past it," Snape answered. "What about the Okumura boy?"

Shura shifted her eyes to Snape before returning to her work. "Which one?" she asked.

"Rin Okumura."

"What about him?"

"What is he?"

Shura looked up at Severus. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Do not play me for a fool, Shura," said Snape. "There is more to Rin Okumura than meets the eye. He was standing in a ring-shaped scorch mark when we entered the bathroom. He did something to the troll before we found him, Potter, and their classmates. So, I ask you again, what is Rin Okumura?"

Shura paused as she locked eyes with Severus. "He's not a threat if that's what ya mean," she answered. "At least I don't think he is. You'll have to ask either the boss or Shiro Fujimoto for more details."

~0~0~0~

Rin faced the makeshift targets he'd made awhile back (made from mud and twigs, tied together with string) on the edge of the lake several nights later. He went over the list of spells he'd learned so far at Hogwarts. He lifted his wand in the air and took aim.

" _Flipendo_!"

A burst of blue light erupted from his wand and hit one of the targets. It exploded with blue flames raining down to the ground. A tick mark appeared on Rin's forehead. He moved to the next target.

" _Verdimillious_!"

Green sparks, mixed with blue flames, shot out of Rin's wand and hit the target, leaving it covered in blue flames.

Another tick mark appeared. Rin moved to the last target.

" _Wingardium Leviosa_!"

The target just exploded in blue fire.

"DAMMIT!" Rin screamed as blue flames erupted from his body again.

"Oh, crap! Calm down, calm down!" he said over and over, trying to get the flames under control. As soon as the flames were gone, he started venting. "Uggghhh! Why does this happen every time? What am I doing wrong?"

"Trouble, Mr. Okumura?"

Rin jumped and saw who was speaking to him.

"Pr-Pro-Profess-Professor Dumbledore!" Rin gasped. "Wh-W-What are you doing here?"

"I was finishing some work in my office when I kept noticing flashes of blue light out on the grounds from my window," Dumbledore explained, causing Rin's face to turn a little red. Dumbledore assessed the damage Rin's spells did to his makeshift targets. "Practicing your spellcasting?"

Rin's face turned even redder. "I keep setting things on fire," he grumbled in frustration. "Every time I cast a spell, all I get is blue flames. I can't even use the Unlocking Charm without scorching the lock!"

Dumbledore stroked his beard, deep in thought. "Are you able to perform magic despite the flames?" he asked.

"Sort of. A blue flame will spurt out of my wand then magic will happen," Rin explained as best he could. "That only happens occasionally. Most of the time it's just fire."

Dumbledore continued to stroke his beard. "This is quite a predicament for you," he stated. "I have never seen anything like this before."

Rin frowned and stared at the ground. "If you of all people can't figure out how to fix this, then no one can," he lamented.

"Ah, I never said that," Dumbledore responded. "On the contrary, this is actually a new mystery for me to solve. And something tells me that you are full of mysteries."

Rin lifted his head up, his face lit up with a little hope. "Can you help me with this?" he asked. "I want to get this problem under control before I burn down the school."

Dumbledore chuckled. "I would be more than happy to help you, Rin," he answered. "You'll have to give me a few weeks to come up with possible solutions first. In the meantime, here is your first lesson: patience. The more you have, the more likely your flames will bend to your will."

"Patience?" Rin repeated. "How can having patience help me control these blue flames?"

"When you lose your patience, you lose control of your emotions," Dumbledore explained. "Only anger and frustration are there. Oftentimes underage witches and wizards lose control of their magic because they are angry or frustrated. You are no exception."

Rin thought about what Dumbledore said. It made sense when he thought about it. Strange things always happened to him and Yukio whenever he started to lose his temper back home.

"I guess it's worth a shot," he said.

Dumbledore smiled. "I look forward to working with you, Rin. Now, it is past curfew. Allow me escort you back to Gryffindor Tower so you do not get in trouble with Mr. Filch."

~0~0~0~

The morning of the first Quidditch game of the year came faster than anyone expected. Needless to say, Harry was more than nervous. He was scared. So much so that he didn't have much of an appetite during breakfast. This was evident when Yukio came into the Great Hall that morning and saw Harry, Rin, and their friends trying to get him to eat something.

"You've got to eat some breakfast," Ron tried to coax his friend into eating something.

"I don't want to eat anything," said Harry.

"Just a bit of toast," Hermione suggested.

"I'm not hungry."

Rin looked up and saw his brother. "Yukio! Can you help us? We're trying to get Harry to eat something before his first Quidditch match and he won't even have a nibble of anything!" he exclaimed.

Yukio looked at Harry, who was white as a sheet, and frowned. "You really should eat something before your game," he told Harry, channelling his inner doctor. "The nutrients will help you perform better on the field."

Harry shook his head no.

"At least drink some orange juice," Rin insisted. Harry shook his head again. "Yukio, do something! Make him eat something, anything!"

"I'm an eleven-year-old wizard, not a miracle worker," Yukio responded.

~0~0~0~

When eleven o'clock rolled around, everyone made their way towards the Quidditch pitch. While still concerned over Harry's wellbeing, Rin was also excited to see Quidditch. He, along with Hermione, Ron, Seamus, and Dean sat in the front row of the Gryffindor stands (Yukio was sitting with his fellow Ravenclaws). They all decided that Harry needed some extra support so they all made a banner from Ron's ruined bedsheets (courtesy of Scabbers the rat) and, using a tricky spell by Hermione, had the words 'Potter for President' flashing in a variety of different colors.

The Gryffindor and Slytherin teams came out onto the pitch with Madam Hooch as the referee. It was easy to spot Harry on the field, he was the smallest player on the field. Everyone brought out the banner for Harry to see. He saw it and managed to give them a nervous smile.

Suddenly, everyone on the field was up in air. Game on! Rin was looking on in awe of the red and green blurs flying everywhere in the air. Lee Jordan, a friend of the Weasley twins, was commentator to the game (although he was biased towards Gryffindor). When Angelina Johnson, the Gryffindor Chaser scored, everyone cheered, except the Slytherins who booed and moaned.

"Budge up there, move along."

Rin turned and saw Hagrid scooching over, Ron and Hermione had to squeeze together to give him room.

"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a pair of binoculars dangling from around his neck. "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope," Ron answered. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."

"Just circling around the field," Rin added casually.

"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," Hagrid said as he raised his binoculars up to his eyes. True to Rin's word, Harry was gliding around the field, obviously looking for the Snitch. The only thing he did different was a loop-de-loop when Angelina scored.

"Slytherin in position," Lee Jordan announced. "Chaser Pucy ducks two Bludgers, both Weasleys and Chaser Bell and speeds towards the - wait a moment - was that the Snitch?"

Murmurs filled the stadium as Adrian Pucy dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that just passed his ear. Harry and Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs raced neck and neck towards the Snitch. Harry started to get closer towards the Snitch. He almost got it…

 _WHAM!_

Marcus Flint blocked Harry, knocking him off course and hanging on to his broom for dear life. Everyone in Gryffindor was roaring with rage at the unsportsmanlike conduct.

"Cheater!" Rin cried out from the stands as Madam Hooch yelled at Flint. She then ordered a free shot to Gryffindor. Unfortunately, all of the confusion made everyone lose track of the Golden Snitch again.

"Send him off, ref! Red card!" Dean yelled.

"This isn't football, guys," said Ron. "You can't send people off the field in Quidditch. And what's a red card?"

Rin rolled his eyes. "Remind me to explain the rules of football to Ron, Dean," he said to his fellow Gryffindor.

Hagrid was on Dean's side. "They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air!" Rin nodded in agreement.

Lee Jordan remained biased about the whole thing. "So, after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating -"

"Jordan!" McGonagall scolded.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul -"

" _Jordan, I'm warning you!_ "

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty shot to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue to play. Gryffindor still in position…"

The game continued on with Slytherin scoring again.

"Ugh! When's Harry gonna catch the Snitch?" Rin complained.

"Give it time," said Seamus. "With that broomstick of his, he'll catch it soon."

As soon as Seamus said that, Hagrid mumbled, "Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he lost control of his broom… but he couldn't have…"

Rin and the others looked up and saw Harry zigzagging everywhere in air. It reminded Rin of an amusement park ride that jerked you around in all directions. Harry then fell off his broom, holding onto it for dear life with only one hand.

"Did something happen to his broom when Flint blocked him?" Seamus asked as Rin started biting his nails.

"Can't have," Hagrid said nervously. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except Dark magic. No kid your age can pull that off."

Rin looked towards the Ravenclaw stands and saw Yukio doing something odd. Rin grabbed Hagrid's binoculars to get a closer look and saw Yukio and his friends trying to get his attention. Rin waved back at them to say that he was listening. The four Ravenclaw students then started pointing towards the faculty stands. Rin looked to where they were pointing but didn't know what they meant.

"What is Yukio trying to say?" Rin asked himself.

"Let me see," said Hermione, taking the binoculars from Rin. She looked in Yukio's direction and then to where he was pointing.

"I thought so," she gasped. "Good eye, Yukio. Snape - look." It was Ron's turn to look through the binoculars at where the teachers were sitting. "He's doing something. He's jinxing the broom!"

Ron gave the binoculars back to Hagrid.

"What should we do?" asked Ron.

"Leave it to me," Hermione answered and she took off.

"You think she'll stop it in time?" asked Dean.

"I hope so," said Seamus.

"This is Hermione we're talking about," said Rin. "If anyone can do it, she can."

Several minutes later, Snape jumped out of his seat as if it were on fire. Wait, his cloak was on fire! Ron and Rin gave each other a high five as Harry managed to get back on his broom and zoomed towards the ground. Harry then suddenly clapped his hand over his mouth and then crash-landed on the ground. When he got up, he released a cough and something gold came out of his mouth and landed in his hands.

"I got the Snitch!" he croaked. Everyone in the stadium stared at Harry in complete confusion.

Did this count as a win?

* * *

 **Sorry this took longer than usual to upload. Like I said, I was trying to make this story my own while also staying true to the original content (WHICH I DO NOT OWN!). I also wanted Rin to officially meet Dumbledore face-to-face. He won't tell Rin about his blue flames. He promised Shiro he'd keep quiet about it after all...**

 **Keep those reviews coming! And tell your moms you love them!**


	13. Flamel

**I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this! I've added some content of my own to make this chapter more interesting. Like I said, I'm trying to add some of my own content in addition to the original content (I DO NOT OWN IT!). I'm kind of proud of this chapter. I like how it turned out.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **Flamel**

At Hagrid's house, Yukio quietly sipped on his tea as his brother and his friends talked about what happened at the Quidditch game. Not how Harry won, which was considered a fair win since he didn't break any rules (despite nearly swallowing the Snitch), but what happened with his broom during the game.

"It was Snape," said Ron. "Rin, Yukio, Hermione and I all saw him. He was cursing your broom. He wouldn't take his eyes off you."

"Rubbish," Hagrid denied. He was too occupied watching Harry to hear what the children were saying during the game. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

"Because he hates Harry's guts?" Rin sarcastically guessed.

Harry decided to come clean about what happened a few nights before the Quidditch game. "I found something out about Snape," he confessed to Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it was guarding."

Hagrid dropped his teapot he was holding. "How do you know about Fluffy?" he asked.

Yukio nearly choked on his tea. " _Fluffy_?!" he repeated incredulously.

"That _thing_ has a name?" Hermione asked.

"Who would name an animal like that 'Fluffy?'" Rin questioned.

"I would, he's mine," Hagrid explained with a little irritation in his voice. "Bought him off a Greek chappie I met at the pub las' year - lent him to Dumbledore to guard the…"

"Yes…" Harry said eagerly.

Hagrid caught himself. "Now don' ask me anymore," he said gruffly. "Top secret, it is."

"Aw, come on, Hagrid," Rin pleaded.

"Snape is trying to _steal_ it," Yukio insisted.

"Rubbish," Hagrid denied again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

"Then why did he try to kill Harry?" asked Ron.

"Like I said, because he hates Harry's guts," Rin repeated.

Hermione ignored them and spoke up. "I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" Hagrid said hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all five of yeh. Yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin'. That's between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

"Oh, so there's someone named Nicholas Flamel involved, is there?" Yukio asked slyly, catching Hagrid's little slip-up.

Hagrid looked furious with himself.

~0~0~0~

Minerva McGonagall entered Dumbledore's office to find him sitting at his desk, writing something on a piece of parchment.

"What is this about, Albus?" Minerva asked.

Dumbledore looked up from what he was doing. "Ah, Minerva. Glad to see you can make it," he greeted then got right to the point. "I'm sure you are aware of Rin Okumura's little problem."

Minerva nodded. "I'm assuming it's about his tendency to setting everything on fire."

Dumbledore nodded.

"Every time he pulls out his wand, he sets something on fire," McGonagall complained. "He has been struggling in my class since the first day of term. Filius and Quirinus have been complaining to me about it as well. Severus has also been voicing his suspicions about the boy."

Dumbledore nodded again. "Rin has spoken to me about this, which is how I found out about his problem," he explained. "He has been trying to get it under control, but to no avail."

"Well, I hope you have some idea on how to get the boy's problem under control before he burns the school down to its foundation," said Minerva.

The door opened and Mephisto Pheles walked in. Minerva was surprised that he was able to enter the castle, especially since there was a protective barrier around the school that protected it from higher class demons.

"Albus! Hope I'm not interrupting," Mephisto greeted.

Albus smiled and stood up. "Ah, Sir Pheles! Right on time," he greeted back.

"Time is my specialty," Mephisto remarked. He then smiled at Minerva. "I wasn't aware that we'd be having company."

Minerva's mouth became a thin line. "How are you able to enter the school? Only lower class demons are able to bypass the barrier," she said stiffly.

Mephisto gave Minerva a toothy grin. "True, but I'm the only one who knows how to get past it. I have the only key." He held up a bronze key with the Hogwarts insignia on it.

"What are you doing here?" Minerva asked through gritted teeth.

Mephisto placed a hand over his heart. "Oh, how you wound me, Minerva! I can't come visit friends without getting the third degree?" he asked dramatically. Minerva pointed her wand in Mephisto's direction as a warning. Mephisto frowned. "You seriously need to relax more. I came here at Albus's request."

Minerva lowered her wand and turned in Dumbledore's direction. "You _invited_ him here?" she asked incredulously.

Dumbledore raised his hand in an effort to calm her down. "Indeed I did. He is here to help us," he explained.

"I'm fully aware of Rin Okumura's problem," explained Mephisto. "I'm here to fill you in about him. He's not your average boy wizard."

"What are you talking about?" asked Minerva.

Mephisto gave her another toothy grin. "Let's just say that he's not as human as you think he is," he said cryptically.

"What are you… Are you saying that Rin Okumura's…"

"That's right," Mephisto said with a nod.

Minerva stepped back in fear and disbelief at what the demon just told her.

Dumbledore walked around his desk and guided Minerva to a chair where she sat down. "I can assure you, Minerva, that Rin Okumura is not a danger to the students or the faculty," he assured her.

Minerva looked up at Dumbledore. "Why didn't you say anything sooner, Albus?" she asked fearfully.

Albus put a hand on her shoulder. "Shiro Fujimoto swore me to secrecy," he explained. "If Rin Okumura's heritage - and by extension, his brother, Yukio - is revealed to the magical community, the Vatican would get wind of it and execute them."

Minerva bristled. "E-Execute them?! They're children!"

"That's not much of a defence," said Mephisto. "In the Vatican's eyes, they're guilty of being born."

"That's not fair to the Okumura brothers," Minerva argued. "Their biological father may be a monster, but they are not! I've seen them interact with other students. Yukio is rarely seen without Boot, Corner, and Goldstein. And Rin has become very close with Potter, Weasley, and Granger. If the True Cross thinks that is demonic behavior, then they are not as holy as they make themselves out to be!"

Mephisto laughed. "If you think the Vatican is going to listen to the words of a _witch_ about the Okumura brothers, then you are sadly mistaken! Centuries of animosity does not go away after only twelve or so years."

"I'm fully aware that the Vatican and the magical community still do not see eye-to-eye, _Samael_ ," Minerva hissed, her wand aimed at Mephisto again.

Dumbledore cut in before things became more heated. "The reason I invited Sir Pheles here is so he could give us ideas on how to control Rin Okumura's flames," he interrupted.

Mephisto took off his hat and pulled out a notebook. "I've written down several ideas on how to get the boy's flames under control. I hope you have a translation spell or something because I haven't written in English in decades," he explained.

"Will any of these ideas prevent his demonic nature from awakening?" Minerva asked worriedly.

Mephisto shrugged. "These are all guesses on my part. I've never dealt with a half-demon wizard before."

~0~0~0~

Christmas was around the corner. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke and found itself underneath several feet of snow. Some of the shorter first year students would sink into the snow on their way to Herbology. Some days were so cold, that the class would be cancelled. The lake was frozen solid and the Weasley twins were punished for throwing bewitched snowballs that followed Professor Quirrel around, bouncing off his turban to the point where he refused to come out of the teachers' lounge (Rin tried to joined in as well, but the snowballs he tried to bewitch kept melting).

Rin was especially excited because his and his brother's birthday was also coming up. He and Yukio were going home to Japan for the holidays. He already had an idea on what kind of Christmas present to give his friends.

"Thank you for the early Christmas present, Rin Okumura," Dolly squeaked. Rin had written down a recipe for mochi to give to the kitchen house elves. Although mochi was usually made on New Year's and the spring holidays in Japan, Rin wanted to give his friends some kind of Christmas present.

"Just make sure to cut it into small pieces before eating," Rin warned. "I also want you to do something for me."

"Anything," said Dolly.

"My brother and I are going home to Japan for the holidays," Rin explained. "I was planning on making some mochi for my friends but I don't know how to get it to them in time. Do you think…"

Dolly's face broke into a huge grin. "Of course, Rin Okumura! Dolly and the house elves will make some of this 'mochi' for Rin Okumura's friends for Christmas. Who are they?"

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger."

Dolly and the other house elves gasped. "Rin Okumura is friends with Harry Potter?" several house elves asked in surprised.

Rin's eyes shifted from one house elf to the next. "Yes. What about it?" he asked with uncertainty.

Dolly grabbed the fabric of Rin's robes and jumped up in down in excitement. "Harry Potter is a hero to all house elves! When You-Know-Who was defeated, it gave house elves hope!" she happily squeaked.

Rin rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, Harry's pretty modest about his fame. He doesn't like making a big deal out of it."

"Dolly would be honored to make this 'mochi' for Harry Potter and Rin Okumura's friends," said Dolly.

Rin kneeled down and gave Dolly a huge hug. "Thanks, Dolly! You're the best!"

~0~0~0~

"I do feel sorry," Malfoy said during Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home." He looked over at Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish. He and Ron grabbed the back of Rin's robes to keep him from pouncing on Malfoy and giving him a beatdown.

"If you ignore him, maybe he'll go away," Harry muttered. Rin released a huff and returned to his work. Malfoy had been nastier than usual ever since the Quidditch match. He tried to get people to laugh at Harry by comparing him to a tree frog based on how he caught the Snitch, but no one found it funny. So, Malfoy went back to taunting Harry for not having a proper family.

It was true that Harry was not returning to his relatives for Christmas. McGonagall came around last week, making a list of students who were staying for the holidays and Harry was among the first students to sign up. Ron and his brothers were staying at Hogwarts as well because their parents and sister were going to Romania to spend Christmas with Charlie.

When they left the dungeons after Potions, they found a big fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.

"Hagrid, is that you? Need some help?" asked Rin.

"Yeah, it's me. Nah, I'm alright, thanks, Rin," Hagrid answered from behind the tree.

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" Malfoy asked in his cold drawl behind them. "Trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose. That hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to. What kind of Muggle dump do you and your brother live in, Okumura?"

Both Rin and Ron dived at Malfoy - just as Snape came up the stairs.

"OKUMURA! WEASLEY!"

Ron let go of Malfoy's robes, which was stained with blood thanks to a bloody nose, courtesy of Rin.

"They were provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, poking his head out from behind the branches of the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' Ron's family and Rin's home."

"Be that as it may, fighting is still against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," Snape said smoothly. "Ten points from Gryffindor, Weasley, Okumura, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, Potter, Granger. Crabbe, Goyle, escort Mr. Malfoy to the hospital wing for his nose."

The three Slytherins pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles all over the floor.

"I hate them," said Rin.

"I hate them, too," Harry agreed. "And Snape."

"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."

The four of them followed Hagrid to the Great Hall where McGonagall, Flitwick, and Shura were busy with Christmas decorations.

"Hey Hagrid!" Shura called out. "Mind putting that last tree in the far corner?" She was holding a square piece of paper with a summoning circle on it. She must had summoned demons to help with decorations.

"Oh, Professor Flitwick, it's beautiful," Hermione said to Flitwick who was producing delicate glass ornaments from his wand.

Professor Flitwick smiled. "Why, thank you, Miss Granger," he squeaked.

"Wish I could do that," said Rin.

"They would explode every time you tried," said Ron, earning him a light punch to the shoulder.

The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no fewer than twelve Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with icicles, others glittering with hundreds of candles.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" asked Hagrid.

"Just one," Hermione answered. "And that reminds me - Harry, Ron, Rin, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Oh, yeah, you're right," Ron said, tearing his gaze away from Professor Flitwick.

"Yukio should already be there," Rin added.

"The library?" asked Hagrid. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"Oh, we're not working," Harry said brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicholas Flamel, we've been trying to find out who he is."

"You _what_?" Hagrid asked in exasperation. "Listen here - I've told yeh - drop it. It's nothin' to yeh what that dog's guardin'."

"We just want to know who Nicholas Flamel is, that's all," Hermione said innocently.

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added hopefully. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere. Just give us a hint. I know I've read his name somewhere before."

"I'm sayin' nothin'," Hagrid flatly said.

"Just have to find out for ourselves then," Ron said with a shrug.

"Rin, promise us you'll not fall asleep this time," Hermione pleaded.

Rin turned bright red as they all left the Great Hall.

~0~0~0~

Rin could barely keep his eyes open. Not even Yukio hitting him upside the head could snap him out of it. They were running out of ideas on where to look for Nicholas Flamel. What did he have to do with whatever Fluffy was guarding? And why did Snape want to steal it? Flamel wasn't in any of the books they had searched.

Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. Maybe Flamel was somewhere there. Unfortunately, students needed a signed permission slip in order to get into the Restricted Section. Harry knew he'd never get one. There were books containing powerful Dark magic never taught by teachers at Hogwarts. Usually older students studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts would bother reading those books. For some reason, Rin avoided that area like the plague.

The librarian, Madam Pince, soon kicked the five students out of the library since it was closing early for the holidays. They then went off to lunch.

"You will keep looking while we're away, won't you?" Hermione asked Ron and Harry. "And sent us an owl if you find anything."

"And you can ask your parents if they knew who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe for them."

"Very safe, as they're both dentists," Hermione replied.

Harry then turned to Rin and Yukio. "Do you think your dad might know who Flamel is?" he inquired. "Maybe he's a famous exorcist or something."

Rin shrugged. "He could be," he said.

"I think Dad would have mentioned him by now," said Yukio.

"We didn't know Dad was an exorcist until last summer," Rin reminded his brother.

"Right," said Yukio, reminding himself that Rin didn't know about his brother and father's "hobbies."

* * *

 **Now I'm going to have to get creative for Rin and Yukio while they're home for the holidays (and birthday). Since they don't have a way to get their Christmas presents (that I know of. How did Harry get his presents from the Weasleys and Hermione while he was at Hogwarts?), I had Rin give the task to the house elves since they live at Hogwarts.**

 **Keep reviewing! I love the praise you guys give me!**


	14. Storytelling

**This is not my best work for this story. If Rin and Yukio stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays, then I'd just be retelling the story then. I didn't put too much thought into what they did for Christmas or their birthdays since I don't know enough about what they did every year (besides celebrating both on the same day).**

 **We'll also be learning more about Shiro's time in the magical world, something I did put a lot of work into.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **Storytelling**

Shiro Fujimoto waited outside Platform 9 ¾ for Rin and Yukio to appear. True to his word, he arrived in London a few days ago and shared a few drinks with Reverend Stephen Swain and other members of the UK branch of the Knights of the True Cross. He shared stories of the boys (being careful not to mention their mother or their origins) and what they were up to at Hogwarts, based on the letters they wrote to him over the past few months.

He was happy that they were making friends. Shiro was especially happy for Rin. The boy never had friends back home in Tokyo. All of the kids in the neighborhood often picked fights with Rin and teased Yukio because of his glasses and moles on his face. Shiro was glad that Yukio made some friends in Ravenclaw House, but he was especially glad he and Rin befriended Harry Potter.

If Shiro was being honest with himself, he was afraid one or both boys would be Sorted into Slytherin House, which he heard had a bad reputation. Due to the boys' demonic heritage, it would have been easy if they were Sorted into the house where the most Dark wizards and witches came from. How they avoided that fate was a mystery to Shiro.

Someone bumped into Shiro from behind.

"Pardon me," a woman apologized. A man, who Shiro assumed was her husband, came up to her.

Shiro smiled. "No harm done," he said. "Just waiting for my sons' train to arrive."

The man smiled back. "We're waiting for our daughter," he explained.

At that moment, Rin and Yukio, along with a girl with bushy brown hair walked out of the barrier to Platform 9 ¾. The couple jumped a little.

"That's going to take some getting used to," the woman muttered.

"Mum! Dad!" the bushy-haired girl called out.

"Dad!" Rin and Yukio cried out upon seeing Shiro.

The three parents greeted their children warmly.

"Rin! Yukio! How have you been?" greeted Shiro.

"Great!" Yukio replied.

"Dad, this is our friend, Hermione Granger," Rin introduced Hermione to their father.

Shiro looked towards the bushy-haired girl who just finished greeting the couple he'd been talking to. Hermione turned towards the three and smiled.

"Rin, Yukio, this is my mum and dad," Hermione introduced.

The twins bowed in Mr. and Mrs. Granger's direction. "Nice to meet you," they greeted simultaneously.

Mrs. Granger smiled. "Pleased to meet you too," she greeted back. Mr. Granger nodded as a greeting.

Hermione noticed Shiro. "Is this your father?" she asked.

Shiro smiled at the young girl. "Nice to meet you, Hermione Granger," he greeted. "I'm Shiro Fujimoto, Rin and Yukio's father. I'm glad that you're getting along with them."

Hermione smiled back. "We've had a very interesting year so far," she said.

Shiro then shook Mr. and Mrs. Granger's hands and guided the twins (who finished their goodbyes to Hermione) outside the train station.

~0~0~0~

One fireplace and three showers later, Shiro and the twins were happy to return to the monastery in Tokyo. Since it was dark, the twins had to wait till morning to tell everyone at the monastery about their adventures at Hogwarts.

"And after our third explosion, Professor Flitwick told me and Seamus that he wasn't pairing us up in his class anymore," Rin finished.

Everyone in the kitchen burst out laughing. Rin had just told them about how he and Seamus Finnigan caused yet another explosion in Charms class. It was the final straw for Flitwick, who told them that they were no longer partnering up in his class.

"Tell us about your new friends," said Seishiro Nagatomo, one of Shiro's fellow priests.

"Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, and Michael Corner are my friends in Ravenclaw," said Yukio. "They're pretty nice but they always need help with their homework, especially Demonology."

"I trust you're helping them?" asked Maruta.

"Only when he's not helping me and my friends with our homework," said Rin.

"Hermione can't babysit you, Ron, and Harry by herself all the time," Yukio countered.

"They your friends, Rin?" asked Naoya Kyodo.

Rin nodded. "Yeah, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter."

"I've heard about Harry Potter," said Seishiro.

Rin and Yukio looked at each other before looking at Shiro's fellow priest.

"How do you know about Harry?" asked Yukio.

"Yeah, he's famous in the UK. I've never even heard of him before Hogwarts," said Rin.

Shiro chuckled. "Witches and wizards go to church too," he remarked. "We just don't notice them. I've heard the name mentioned more than once before and after services."

Rin raised his eyebrows. "You mean witches and wizards attend church?" he asked in disbelief.

Shiro and the other priests chuckled. "Who said witches and wizards can't be Christians?" he said.

~0~0~0~

As was tradition for the men at Southern Cross Boys' Monastery, Christmas and the Okumura twins' birthday was celebrated on the same day. Upon waking up, Rin and Yukio were shocked to find presents waiting for them in the living room. Both boys received sweaters and fudge from Ron's mother (he said he wrote home and told her all about them). Hermione gave Rin a wizard comic book she bought at Diagon Alley and Yukio a copy of Newt Scamander's book _Demons and Magical Creatures: What's the Difference?_ (Yukio had given Shura her copy back a while ago). Harry, since he wasn't able to buy any presents for the twins, gave them some of his Famous Witches and Wizards trading cards he had more than one of. Ron gave them their own set of Gobstones. The game was a hit amongst the priests, especially when one of the Gobstones squirted putrid smelling liquid in their faces.

Later that night, as everyone was chowing down on angel food birthday cake, Yukio spoke up.

"Hey, Dad, does the name Nicholas Flamel ring a bell?" he asked.

Shiro swallowed his cake and tapped his chin in thought. "Can't say that I do," he said after a brief moment.

"Is he an exorcist like you?" Rin piped up.

Shiro shrugged. "Could be, could be not," he answered. "Sounds like he's a wizard."

"But you're known throughout the wizarding community," said Yukio. "Haven't you met someone who knows him?"

Shiro shrugged again. "I may be well-known throughout the magical community but that doesn't mean I've met every living famous witch and wizard in the world."

~0~0~0~

The twins had long gone to bed. Tadashi Misumi, the oldest priest at the monastery, walked into the living room and noticed Shiro staring into the fire in the fireplace. He looked to be deep in thought.

"Can't sleep?" asked Tadashi.

Shiro looked up. "Tadashi. Thought you were asleep."

The elder priest chuckled. "Stomach was acting up; too much cake. Thought some tea would settle it down. What about you?"

Shiro smiled. "Couldn't sleep either."

"Reminiscing about the past?"

"Yes."

"About Yuri?"

Shiro shook his head no. "Not this time. I was thinking more about my time in the wizarding world."

Tadashi sat down in an easy chair. "The people there truly are grateful for your help," he said.

"It wasn't easy to persuade the Ministry to cooperate…"

~0~0~0~

 _Shiro sat outside the Wizengamot with two guards standing over him. He was to stand before the entire Ministry of Magic to discuss an alliance between them and the Vatican. Reverend Stephen Swain was sitting next to him, as it was his idea in the first place._

" _Wonder what's taking so long," said Swain._

" _Beats me," Shiro answered, taking out a cigarette which one of the guards snatched out of his hand._

"Accio _," he said with a wave of his wand. Shiro's entire pack of cigarettes flew out of his pocket and into the guard's hand. "No smoking in the building," he grunted._

 _Shiro sneered at the guard. "Party pooper," he called him._

 _The door opened. Another guard appeared and guided the two men inside. The room was round with several witches and wizards wearing plum-colored robes sitting in the stands. Remus, Lily, and Alastor were already there, sitting in chairs at the center of the room. Two empty chairs were sitting next to them. Shiro and Swain sat into them and waited for the trial to begin._

 _A woman who appeared to be in charge began reading from a sheet of parchment."This hearing of the sixth of June, into the attack of the Montgomery, Wales warehouse where a Muggle man, one Shiro Fujimoto, witnessed the use of magic by Remus Lupin, Alastor Moody, and Lily Potter. They have failed to report the witness to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement or the Improper Use of Magic Office. Interrogators: Millicent Bagnold, Minister of Magic; Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Chief Warlock; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Head of Improper Use of Magic Office; Bartemius Crouch, Senior, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Court scribe -"_

" _Shiro Fujimoto did not receive the Memory Charm because he holds valuable information that could be beneficial in our fight with Voldemort," Dumbledore explained, cutting to the chase. Everyone, except Shiro and Swain, flinched at the name. Shiro rolled his eyes at how silly they were acting._

" _And what, pray tell, could a Muggle priest possibly know that could help us defeat You-Know-Who?" Crouch skeptically asked._

" _Shiro Fujimoto saved us from…" Lily started before trailing off._

" _Yes, Mrs. Potter?" Bagnold pressed._

" _Shiro Fujimoto saved us from… from demons," Lily tried again._

" _Demons?" Dolores Umbridge repeated. "Forgive me, but are you saying that demons, the biblical monsters, tried to attack you, along with Mr. Moody and Mr. Lupin?"_

" _That's exactly what happened!" Remus piped up._

" _I'm sorry, Mr. Lupin, but I was addressing Mrs. Potter," Umbridge said with contempt in her voice. Shiro lifted an eyebrow at this exchange. This woman clearly had something against Remus, whatever it was._

" _They both speak the truth," Moody growled. "We were attacked by ghouls - and not the kind of ghouls you'd keep in your attic. These ghouls were demons, the same kind that appeared in biblical times. Crazy, I know, but the truth is known to be stranger than fiction. This man saved us while we were searching for the Death Eaters' whereabouts."_

" _That doesn't explain why you three performed magic in front of him," said Crouch._

" _They didn't know I was there," Shiro spoke up. Everyone turned in his direction. "I was there on official business for the Knights of the True Cross. They were trying to fight the demons off but none of their spells were working."_

" _And the Knights of the True Cross is?" Bagnold asked._

" _An order that has defended mankind from demons for roughly two thousand years. We train exorcists, exorcise demons, heal humans who have been harmed by demons, and investigate demon activity, which I was doing when these three came in," Shiro explained._

" _And what was it you were investigating, Mr. Fujimoto?" asked Crouch._

 _Shiro scowled at being addressed so casually. "There were reports of strange deaths occurring in a town in Wales. I was investigating the scene of the most recent deaths in an abandoned warehouse. I heard someone entering said warehouse and I hid, thinking it was the culprit. I did not know they were there for the same reason as I was," Shiro explained._

 _Umbridge then spoke up again. "Investigating strange deaths, Mr. Fujimoto? I thought you were an exorcist, not a detective."_

 _Shiro turned his eyes towards the toadlike woman. "Did you forget the part where investigating_ demon activity _was part of my job description?" he asked snidely. "People don't just drop dead without some sort of cause. The Muggle medical examiners could find no cause of death. They told me that they did not die of natural causes, nor were they murdered, at least not in the Muggle way."_

" _How were these deaths strange?" asked Bagnold._

" _Muggles reported flashes of green light followed by plumes of black smoke in each location the victims were found," Shiro responded._

 _It was Crouch's turn to scowl. "Death Eaters," he growled._

 _Shiro raised an eyebrow. "'Death Eaters?' I'm sorry, I've heard that term more than once and no one has told me what they are."_

" _Voldemort's followers," Moody explained._

" _Shiro Fujimoto knows how to defeat these creatures," Lily spoke up. "He could tell us how to fight them before You-Know-Who gets wind of them and tries to use them against us."_

 _Shiro released a 'hmph' before speaking. "He can try but it will only backfire. Demons take no side, unless it benefits them. If this Voldemort guy recruits demons, what's in it for them? Nothing."_

" _If that's the case, then why are we here?" Umbridge asked in an innocent tone. "We shouldn't worry about them if You-Know-Who isn't planning on recruiting them."_

" _That doesn't mean he'll try," Moody spoke up. "We might as well know how to fight these things if he does recruit them. Even if he doesn't recruit them, they might become a bigger threat than Voldemort."_

" _And what do you recommend we should do to combat these creatures?" asked Bagnold._

 _Swain then stood up. "That is where I come in," he finally spoke up._

~0~0~0~

"They still didn't trust you, even after you saved three of their own," Tadashi said when Shiro finished his story.

"I think they were still pretty sore about all of those witch hunts three hundred years ago," Shiro replied.

"The ones in Europe or the ones in the Colonies?"

"Both, I guess."

Tadashi sighed. "Us 'Muggles' can be quick to forgive others for their blunders. It's been seen throughout history. Witches and wizards on the other hand, can carry a grudge for centuries it looks like."

Shiro chuckled. "So can the Vatican."

* * *

 **For those who have read the manga, yes, these are the actual names of the priests that live in the monastery.**

 **The flashback scene was a little difficult for me to write because of how little I knew about what life was like during the First Wizarding War. I did a lot of digging to see who was in charge of what during that time period. So, yes, there are some familiar faces you may know from the other HP books/movies.**

 **I also read somewhere that Lily and James were married for a year or two before they had Harry.**

 **Also, after much deliberation, I've decided that Amaimon will make an appearance in this story. He won't play a major role in it, but he will make himself known to at least Harry. But I won't say _when_ Amaimon will appear.**

 **Keep reviewing and have a Happy Memorial Day!**


	15. Discoveries

**I'm finally moving the plot forward! The second half of this one was kind of fun to write since the Golden Trio learn a little bit about Rin and what NOT to do to him.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 **Discoveries**

Rin couldn't decide if he should be shocked or disappointed about what Harry and Ron were up to while he, Yukio, and Hermione were gone for the holidays. While the two were unsuccessful in finding any information about Nicholas Flamel, Harry did find something called the Mirror of Erised, known for showing the viewer their deepest desires. It made Rin wonder what he would see if he looked into it. He threw that thought out the window when Harry said that Dumbledore was having it moved somewhere else.

Classes started again. Researching Flamel slowed everyone down when Quidditch practice started again as well and Harry couldn't help them as often as he wanted. It then came to an abrupt halt when Harry returned to the common room from practice one day with the worst news.

"WHAT?!" Rin exclaimed.

"Snape is refereeing the next Quidditch match," Harry repeated.

Ron and Hermione stared in shock. Snape was refereeing the next Quidditch match! Whose idea was that?!

"Don't play!" Hermione exclaimed at once.

"Say you're ill," Ron offered.

"Pretend to break your leg," said Hermione.

" _Really_ break your leg!" Rin exclaimed, which caused all three of his friends to look at him in shock. "What? He can't play if his leg is really broken."

Harry shook his head to snap himself out of his shock. "Anyway, I can't. There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all," he explained. "Besides, Madam Pomfrey would be able to fix my leg, no problem, even if I really did break it."

Rin rested his chin in his hand. "Well, this stinks!"

At that moment, Neville stumbled into the common room, his legs locked together. It was clear that he was under the Leg-Locker Curse. The poor guy must have bunny hopped all the way back to Gryffindor Tower. Everyone laughed at Neville's plight, except Hermione, who walked over to perform the countercurse.

Rin also walked over to Neville and pulled him back on his feet. "You okay, Neville? What happened?" he asked.

"Malfoy," he said shakily as Rin helped him into an easy chair. "I met him outside the library. He said he was looking for someone to practice it on."

Rin growled. "Malfoy! When I get my hands on him…"

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"

Neville shook his head no. "I don't want any more trouble," he murmured.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville," said Ron.

Rin nodded in agreement. "Malfoy's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to act like a doormat and making it easier for him," he encouraged.

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor. Malfoy's already made sure of it," Neville choked, looking like he was about to cry.

Harry gave Neville the last of his Chocolate Frogs to him to cheer him up. "You're worth twelve of Malfoy," he said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinkin' Slytherin."

Rin, Ron, and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"You can do it, Neville," Rin encouraged. "I think the Sorting Hat saw potential in you to be in Gryffindor. You may not be able to stand up to Malfoy today, but one day you will!"

Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the Chocolate Frog. "Thanks Harry, Rin… I think I'll go to bed. Do you want the card, Harry? You collect them, don't you?"

As Neville walked up the stairs to the boys' dormitory, Harry looked at the Famous Witches and Wizards card. "Dumbledore again," he noted. "He was the first one I ever…" He suddenly gasped. He stared at the back of the card and then looked at his friends. "I've found him!" he exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "I've found Flamel! I _told_ you I'd read the name somewhere else before. I read it on the train coming here - listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in 1945, for his discovery of the twelve uses for dragon's blood _and_ _his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicholas Flamel_!'"

Hermione jumped to her feet and ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. The boys hadn't seen her this excited since they got the results of their first test (which Rin barely passed, something he was somewhat proud of since he was not the best academic at Hogwarts). She quickly returned with a very thick book in her arms.

"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library for a bit of light reading a few weeks ago."

" _Light_?!" Ron said in disbelief.

"If this is her idea of light reading, I'm terrified to know what her idea of _heavy_ reading is," Rin said.

"Quiet, you two," Hermione said before opening the book and flipping frantically through the pages. She then finally found what she was looking for. "I knew it! I _knew_ it!"

"Are we allowed to speak now?" Ron asked irritably. Hermione ignored him.

"Nicholas Flamel is the _only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone_!" she read in a whisper.

Harry, Ron, and Rin looked at her with identical clueless expressions. "The what?" they asked simultaneously.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, honestly, don't you lot _read_? Look, here it is," she said.

The passage read: _The ancient art of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal._

 _There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera-lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)._

"See?" Hermione asked when the three were finished reading. "That dog must be guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him because they're friends and he knew someone was after it. That's why he moved the Stone out of Gringotts."

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from dying," said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it!"

" _Anyone_ would want it!" Rin exclaimed.

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that _Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry_ ," added Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six-hundred and sixty-five, is he?"

"We gotta tell Yukio about this," said Rin.

~0~0~0~

"The Philosopher's Stone?" Yukio repeated under his breath as he, Rin, Ron, Neville and Hermione sat in the stands of the Quidditch pitch.

"Yeah," Rin confirmed. "Imagine if Snape gets his hands on it!"

Yukio gripped his chin in thought. "That would explain those bite marks on his leg that Harry mentioned. He must have been trying to get past Fluffy on Halloween to get it," he assumed.

"Now we just have to make sure he doesn't get past Fluffy," said Hermione.

"Quiet, you lot," said Ron. "They're off - OUCH!"

The redhead's friends turned to see who poked him. It was none other than Malfoy and his cronies.

"Oh, sorry, Weasley; didn't see you there," he said with a smirk.

"Liar," Rin coughed.

Malfoy sneered at Rin. "Haven't forgotten about you, Okumura," he said, "or the Christmas present you gave me before break."

Yukio looked at Rin. "You gave Malfoy a Christmas present?" he asked in disbelief.

Rin suddenly was more interested in the Quidditch game. "It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of present," he said innocently.

"He broke my nose," said Malfoy.

Yukio stared at his brother in shock. "You WHAT?!" he asked incredulously.

Rin looked at his brother. "He called the monastery a dump," he defended, "and he insulted Ron and his family."

"That's no excuse for breaking his nose," Yukio argued.

Malfoy then turned his attention to Ron. "Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time. Anyone want to bet? What about you, Weasley? You'd appreciate the money!"

Ron didn't take the bait, though a tick mark was visible on his head. Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty shot because George had hit a Bludger in his direction. Hermione, who had every finger crossed in her lap, was keeping a close eye on Harry, who was circling around the field, searching for the Snitch.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" Malfoy asked loudly as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason whatsoever. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasley's, who've got no money - Longbottom and Okumura should join too, since they've got no brains."

Several tick marks appeared on Rin's head since he knew that Malfoy was referring to him. Yukio gripped the back of Rin's shirt in case his brother tried to break Malfoy's nose again. Neville turned in his seat and faced Malfoy.

"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," said Neville.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled in laughter, but Ron gave Neville an encouraging smile. "You tell him, Neville," he said.

"Longbottom, if brains were gold, you'd be poorer than Weasley and that's saying something," Malfoy taunted.

Rin turned his head and gave the blonde Slytherin his fiercest scowl. "Malfoy, I'm warning you!" he threatened. This guy was getting too carried away with insulting Rin's friends and he was not having it.

Malfoy and his cronies pretended to act startled before chuckling. "Keep that up, Okumura, and your face will freeze that way. You look like a demon," he taunted.

Yukio's eyes widened. Malfoy just called Rin a demon! Rin hated being called that more than anything in the world. Before Yukio could tighten his grip on his brother's shirt, Rin escaped his brother's grip and lunged at Malfoy.

"YAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Rin roared. He started pummeling Malfoy's face. Ron and Neville joined in too and started beating up Crabbe and Goyle.

"Calm down, Rin!" Yukio pleaded to his brother.

Hermione was so focused on the game that she did not even notice the six boys rolling around under her seat, beating each other up.

"Ron! Rin! Neville! Where are you? The game's over! Harry caught the Snitch! Gryffindor's in the lead!" shrieked Hermione. The boys stopped pummeling one another and saw that the game had, indeed, come to an end in record time.

~0~0~0~

"Unbelievable!" Yukio exclaimed as he and Rin left the Hospital Wing after the game. "You've flipped out whenever someone called you a demon before, but this takes the cake!"

Rin had sustained scratches, bruises, and two broken fingers in his fight with Malfoy and his friends, who were much worse than he was. While Ron and Neville dealt with Crabbe and Goyle, their conditions were nothing compared to Malfoy, who broke his nose (again), got a black eye, several bruises, and lost two baby teeth.

"Malfoy called me a demon!" Rin defended.

"That doesn't mean you have to beat him up for it!" Yukio exclaimed. "I know you hate being called that but you've got to learn to ignore it."

Rin pouted and turned away from his brother. "He was also picking on Ron and Neville," he grumbled.

"I don't care if he was picking on Professor Dumbledore himself! You can't beat up every person who picks on your friends or calls you a demon," Yukio argued.

Rin gritted his teeth. "Okay, I get it! Hermione's already scolded my ear off in case you've forgotten!" he exclaimed.

"And what did she say?"

"Pretty much same crap you and Dad are always telling me. That I shouldn't get into fights and stuff like that."

Yukio sighed resignedly. "At least you remember."

"There you two are!" Ron exclaimed. Rin and Yukio saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione at the end of the hall and hurried over to them.

"How are your injuries, Rin?" asked Harry.

"Better thanks to Madam Pomfrey," said Rin.

Hermione glared at the blue-haired boy and put her hands on her hips. "I hope you're not planning on doing that every time Malfoy calls you names," she said.

Rin folded his arms and looked away. "As long as he doesn't call me a demon," he grumbled.

"Rin _hates_ it when people call him a demon," Yukio explained. "If someone does, he always flips out. Only Dad and I can calm him down."

"Hopefully Malfoy's learned not to do that again," Ron murmured.

"Anyway, what's going on with you guys?" asked Rin. Harry herded them all into an empty classroom. He then told them about what he was up to after the Quidditch match and what he discovered.

"So we were right. It _is_ the Philosopher's Stone!" Ron exclaimed.

"And Snape's trying to get Quirrel to help him steal it," Yukio added.

"He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy - and he said something about Quirrel's 'hocus pocus' - I reckon there are other things guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy," said Harry.

"There are probably tons of enchantments and stuff like that," Rin guessed. "Quirrel probably set up some anti-Dark Arts spells and wards that Snape needs to break through."

"So, you mean the Stone is safe as long as Quirrel stands up to Snape?" asked Hermione.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," Ron said in a deadpanned tone.

* * *

 **Yeah, Malfoy, never call Rin the 'D word.' You will be sorry.**

 **I'm kind of looking forward to writing the next chapter. It might take awhile since I have to figure out how Rin and Yukio will handle Norbert the dragon. I have some ideas but nothing solid _yet_. Let me know in your reviews how I should do it.**

 **COME ON, FOLKS! WE'RE ALMOST AT 100 REVIEWS!**


	16. Dragons

**Okay, this was harder than I thought! From a religious POV, I thought dragons were in cahoots with the devil and the like. Turns out that only applies to the biblical sea monster, Leviathan, and the legend of St. George and the Dragon as far as I could gather. Some tales in other cultures depict dragons as deities, others as evil monsters. I couldn't decide!**

 **Make sure to read the notes at the end of this chapter.**

 **Wish your dads a happy Father's Day!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 **Dragons**

Final exams were ten weeks away. The teachers (and Hermione) were pressuring everyone to start studying and revising. It didn't help the group that Yukio was going back and forth between his Ravenclaw friends and Rin and his friends. Luckily, he was helping Rin and the others study today.

"I'll never remember this!" Ron exclaimed, throwing down his quill and looked longingly out the window. It was the first nice day in months. The sky was a clear forget-me-not blue and summer was around the corner. "Yukio, why can't you be in Gryffindor? Studying would be way easier if you were."

"What about me?" Hermione asked irritatedly.

"Two brainiacs are better than one," Rin answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Hermione lightly gave Rin a shove.

Yukio then noticed someone he never thought would appear in the library. "Hagrid? What are you doing in the library?"

Harry, Ron, Rin, and Hermione looked up and saw Hagrid shuffling into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin coat.

"Nothin' much, Yukio. Jus' lookin' around," Hagrid said in a shifty tone that got their interest immediately. "An' what are you lot up to?" He then looked at the five suspiciously. "Yer still not lookin' fer Nicholas Flamel, are yeh?"

Rin shook his head no. "We found out about him weeks ago," he said matter-of-factly.

Harry nodded in agreement. " _And_ we know what that dog's guarding, the Philosopher's -"

" _Shhhh!_ " Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter wit' yeh?"

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what's guarding that Stone apart from Fluffy -"

"SHHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen - come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin, mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it here, students aren' supposed ter know. They'll think I told yeh -"

"See you later, then," said Harry. Hagrid shuffled off.

"What was Hagrid hiding behind his back?" asked Yukio.

"Do you think it has anything to do with the Stone?" asked Hermione.

Ron stood up. "I'll go see what section he was in," he said. He came back a minute later with a stack of books in his arms. He plopped them onto the table. " _Dragons_!" he exclaimed in a harsh whisper. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: _Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland_ ; _From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide_."

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him," said Harry.

"Seriously?!" Rin asked in astonishment. "Dragons exist?"

"Of course they exist," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden - anyway, dragons are impossible to tame, it's dangerous. I can't tell you how many burns my brother Charlie has on his body. He studies them in Romania, dragons."

"I wouldn't be surprised if that's how he got a temptaint," Yukio muttered.

"So, what is Hagrid up to?" wondered Hermione.

"Only one way to find out," said Rin.

~0~0~0~

The group gathered outside Hagrid's hut an hour later. The curtains were suspiciously closed. "Who is it?" Hagrid's voice called out from inside. The quintet looked at each other as they were quickly herded inside which was stiflingly hot. Hagrid offered them tea and stoat sandwiches, which Rin and Yukio politely refused.

"So - yeh wanted to ask me somthin'?" asked Hagrid.

"For starters, why is it so hot in here?" Rin asked while tugging on his shirt collar in an effort to cool off.

"I'll tell yeh in a minute, Rin."

Harry then spoke up, "Also, we were wondering if you'll tell us what's guarding the Philosopher's Stone apart from Fluffy."

Hagrid frowned at Harry. "O' course, I can't," he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. The Stone's here for a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts - I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all, too, right? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."

"The Gringotts part was pretty obvious," said Yukio. "As for Fluffy, we literally ran into him."

"Come _on_ , Hagrid; you might not want to tell us, but you _do_ know everything that goes on around here," Hermione said in a warm, flattering voice. The boys watched in awe as how Hermione's flowery words made Hagrid smile underneath his thick beard. "We only wondered who had _done_ the guarding, really," she went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore trusted enough apart from you."

Hagrid's chest swelled with pride. The boys smiled at Hermione's ingenious method of getting information from the friendly giant.

"Well… I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that alone," said Hagrid, finally caving. "Let's see… he borrowed Fluffy from me, an' then some o' the teachers did the enchantments… Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall," he ticked off his fingers, "Professor Quirrel, an' Professor Dumbledore himself…"

"I'm surprised Professor Shura didn't contribute," Yukio murmured.

"Dumbledore asked her, but she said somethin' abou' gettin' tired if she kept somethin' up for long periods of time," Hagrid replied.

"That's because she's a Tamer," said Hermione, remembering their Tamers unit in Demonology. "Tamers summon and control demons as their familiars. It takes a lot of willpower, energy, and a strong heart for a Tamer to keep a familiar in Assiah. If Professor Shura summoned a familiar to watch over the Stone all year, she would eventually get tired and even faint."

"That makes sense," said Hagrid. "I've forgotten someone… Oh yeah, Professor Snape."

" _Snape_?!" everyone cried.

Hagrid raised a bushy eyebrow at the five students. "Yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped _protect_ the Stone," he defended. "He's not abou' ter steal it."

"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, Hagrid," said Rin.

"And you wouldn't tell anyone how to get past him, would you?" asked Harry. "Not even the teachers?"

"Nope, not a soul, except me an' Dumbledore," Hagrid answered.

"Well, that's something," said Harry, as he took off his cloak.

"Hagrid, can we open a window, please?" asked Yukio. "We're boiling."

"Does Madam Pomfrey know how to treat heat stroke?" Rin panted as he shed his own cloak and used a doily to fan himself.

"Can't, Yukio, sorry," said Hagrid as he glanced at something in the fireplace.

"Hagrid, what's _that_?" Harry asked.

Hagrid started fiddling with his beard. "Oh, that's…well, er…"

" _Where_ did you get that, Hagrid?" Ron asked as he got up to get a closer look at what's in the fireplace. "It must have cost you a fortune!"

"You know what that is, Ron?" asked Yukio.

"It's a _dragon egg_!" Ron exclaimed. "Charlie's shown us pictures of all kinds of them. I know a dragon egg when I see it. So, again, where did you get it, Hagrid?"

"Won it last night," said Hagrid. "I was down at the pub havin' a few drinks and got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

"But what are you going to do when it's hatched?" asked Hermione.

"Well, I've been doin' a bit o' readin'," Hagrid answered picking up a book. "Got this from the library - _Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit_ \- it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mother breathe on 'em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it a bucket o' brandy mixed wit' chicken blood every half hour. An' see here - how to recognize diff'rent eggs - what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."

"Did Hagrid forget he lives in a _wooden_ house?" Rin asked Yukio.

~0~0~0~

Rin stared at the targets Professor Dumbledore conjured up for him to practice on one evening. Dumbledore decided that Rin should focus on how to separate the magic from the blue flames. Rin didn't understand how that worked since he thought the flames and the magic were one and the same but he didn't question it (he figured Dumbledore knew what he was talking about).

"Now, concentrate," said Dumbledore. "Keep the thought of the flames in the back of your mind as much as possible."

Rin closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. He pictured firing a spell without any blue flames, only sparks.

Rin opened his eyes, aimed his wand at the target, and yelled, " _Flipendo_!"

A single blue flame slithered out of his wand before blue sparks shot out at the target. A scorch mark was visible on it, but other than that, the target was not engulfed in blue flames.

Rin smiled. "I did it! I did a spell without setting something on fire!" he cheered. "There was still a flame, but it didn't set anything on fire!"

Dumbledore chuckled as he pocketed the notebook Mephisto gave him. This was the third idea they had tried and it seemed to have the best results… for now. If Rin's demonic nature was awakened, they would have to go back to searching for ways to keep the blue flames under control.

"Well done, Rin, well done," said Dumbledore. "I believe we have found a method of keeping your flames under control."

"About time," said Rin. "I was afraid we'd never find a way. Thank you so much, Professor!"

Dumbledore chuckled. "You're very welcome, Rin. Now, I think we've had enough for one night." Rin nodded and Dumbledore made the targets disappear with a wave of his wand. He then escorted Rin back to the castle. "Now, I need you to promise me something, Rin."

"Sure. What is it?" Rin asked.

"I want you to tell me if this method of spellcasting stops working," said Dumbledore. "It is very important that I know if it stops working."

Rin saw that the headmaster was serious and nodded in agreement. "I will, sir," he promised. He did not want this problem to start up again. He might burn one of his friends, something he was terrified of.

~0~0~0~

 _It's hatching._

Those were the two words Hagrid wrote on a note Hedwig delivered one morning at breakfast.

"Forget Herbology, let's go now!" gasped Ron.

"I'm in!" Rin agreed.

Hermione was not very keen on the idea. "We can't do that, _especially_ with exams coming up soon," she argued.

"How often are gonna see a dragon hatching, Hermione?" Rin argued back.

"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing -"

"Shut up!" Harry hissed. Malfoy was feet away from them and it seemed like he stopped in his tracks to eavesdrop. The four Gryffindors paled. How much did Malfoy hear?

Rin glowered at Malfoy. "Can we help you?" he asked snidely.

Malfoy sneered at Rin before walking away.

At the beginning of morning break, Rin found Yukio leaving Potions and dragged him away from his friends.

"What the hell are you doing, Rin?" asked Yukio.

"Hagrid's! The you-know-what is hatching!" Rin exclaimed excitedly.

Yukio's eyes widened behind his glasses. "It is? Seriously?"

"Yeah! We're meeting Harry, Ron, and Hermione there, so come on!"

For the first time in a long while, Yukio seemed to be excited about it. They eventually met up with Rin's friends outside Hagrid's hut. The friendly giant greeted them, looking flushed and excited.

"It's nearly out," he said as he herded them inside. The egg was sitting on the table. It had deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a strange clicking noise could be heard coming from inside it. The children pulled up chairs and waited with bated breath for the dragon to come out.

Suddenly, the egg split open and a little dragon flopped out of it and onto the table. It was uglier than Rin pictured. Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body and it had a long snout with wide nostrils, stubby horns, and bulging, orange eyes.

The dragon sneezed, causing sparks to fly out of its snout. The children moved back to avoid getting burned.

"Isn't he _beautiful_?" Hagrid murmured with tears in his eyes.

"That's not the first word that comes to mind," Yukio muttered.

"It's the farthest thing from 'cute' too," Rin added.

Hagrid reached out to stroke the dragon's head with his fingers but it snapped at them, showing of its tiny, pointy fangs.

"Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!" Hagrid exclaimed. The dragon turned around to face the other children when its orange eyes landed on Rin. For a moment, it didn't move but then it roared (or rather a high pitched squeak) and backed away from the boy until it stumbled over its egg shell. Rin and Yukio looked at each other in confusion.

"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer but stopped short. The color drained from his face as he ran towards the window. "Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains," he said fearfully. "It's a kid - he's runnin' back up ter the school."

Harry bolted to the door and looked out. There was no mistake who it was, even at a distance. Draco Malfoy now knew about the dragon.

* * *

 **Now, before you guys flip out about Norbert/Norberta's behavior towards the Okumura brothers, let me remind you that the Sorting Hat mentioned that Yukio's "darkness" was growing at an abnormally slow rate. Since Rin's demonic behavior has been more evident, even as a child, the baby dragon picked up on it and freaked out.**

 **Thank you to my guest reviewer, Sunset, for being the 100th reviewer! I give you a pie!**


	17. Bad Days

**Some people are going to be mad at me, but our heroes are not going to the Forbidden Forest...YET! We still need to go through the events leading up to the forest. This chapter might be a little boring, but I can't leave important plot points out of the story. Plus, we get to see the gang interact with Shura more.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 **Bad Days**

The way Malfoy smiled throughout the next week made the five friends very nervous. They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut trying to convince him to release the dragon into the wild.

"Just let him go," urged Harry. "Set him free."

"The sooner you get rid of him, the better," Yukio added.

"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."

"I kind of doubt that," said Rin as he looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in only a week. Smoke kept leaking out of its nostrils. Hagrid neglected his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.

"I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert, Norbert! Where's Mummy?"

"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered into Harry's ear.

"Hagrid," Harry loudly said. "Give it a fortnight and Norbert will be as long as your house!"

"Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment," Yukio added.

Hagrid bit his lip. "I… I know I can't keep him forever, but I jus' can't dump him, I can't."

Harry suddenly turned to Ron. "Charlie."

Ron looked at Harry. "You're losing it too. I'm Ron, remember?"

"No - Charlie - your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back into the wild," said Harry.

Ron smiled. "Brilliant!"

"What do you say, Hagrid?" Rin asked the friendly giant.

It took more convincing from Yukio and Hermione until Hagrid agreed to send Charlie an owl.

~0~0~0~

Yukio spent too long in the library one evening and he had to hide behind a variety of objects through the corridors, such as suits of armor and tapestries, to avoid bumping into Filch or Mrs. Norris. An occasional coal tar would float by, something that Yukio had seen a lot of in mostly abandoned corridors and certain parts of the library. He was almost to Ravenclaw Tower when he heard heavy breathing and drops of blood appearing on the floor, as if someone was walking with an open wound.

Yukio followed the sound and reached out to the invisible source of blood and grabbed hold of a fluid fabric. Ron Weasley suddenly appeared as the strange fabric fell off him.

"Ron?" said Yukio in shock. "What are you doing here? What is this thing? And what happened to your hand?"

"Shhhh!" Ron shushed him as he grabbed the fabric back from Yukio. "That's Harry's invisibility cloak. It was his dad's before he died. I was just coming back from Hagrid's, feeding Norbert."

"Did he bite you?" Yukio asked, looking at the redhead's bleeding hand.

"Yes!" Ron hissed. "That stupid thing's eating dead rats by the crateful! I won't be able to hold a quill for a week! I swear, that dragon is the most horrible animal I've ever met!"

"The way Hagrid talks about it, you'd think it was a cute, little bunny rabbit," Yukio muttered.

"I know, right?! When it bit me, Hagrid told me off for scaring it. And when I left, Hagrid was singing it a lullaby!" Ron exclaimed. His knees suddenly wobbled, almost making him collapse. Luckily, Yukio caught him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Fine," Ron grumbled. He swatted a stray coal tar away from him. "What are these things? I've been seeing them ever since I came back inside."

Yukio stared at Ron. "You - You can _see_ them?"

Ron looked at Yukio like he had carrots growing out of his ears. "Of course I can see them! They're everywhere! They're like bloody mosquitoes!" he complained.

That was all Yukio needed to hear before he grabbed Ron's arm. "Norbert didn't just bite you, he gave you a temptaint," he explained as he guided him towards Shura's office.

"HE WHAT?!"

"Shhhhhhh!"

"How the bloody hell did that thing give me a temptaint?" Ron asked in an exasperated whisper as they kept walking. "I thought you could only get one from demons."

"Certain magical creatures also apply," said Yukio, knocking on Shura's office door.

It took a full minute before Shura answered the door. She was wearing her sleeping kimono with a toothbrush in her mouth.

"Wha' do you wan' a' 'ish hour, Shicken?" she asked, toothpaste dripping from her foaming mouth.

"Sorry, professor, but Ron needs your help," Yukio answered. "He just got a temptaint."

Ron showed Shura his bloody hand, which was starting to swell. She stared at it for a few seconds before opening the door wider, gesturing them to come in. She went ahead of them and disappeared into her bathroom. The two boys heard her spit, rinse her mouth, gargle, and spit again. She then reappeared.

"So, what are two first year boys doing out and about past curfew?" she interrogated.

"I was just leaving the library when I bumped into Ron," Yukio explained.

"No surprise there. So what about you, Weasley? What were ya doing out past curfew?" Ron's face turned as red as his hair and looked away. Shura raised an eyebrow. "You can tell me now, or we can sit here all night until ya crack. Yer choice," she said.

Ron looked at Yukio for advice. He knew what Ron wanted to ask.

Yukio looked squarely at Shura. "Swear you won't tell anyone, not even Dumbledore," he said.

"It depends. If ya want my help, ya gotta tell me what happened," Shura replied.

Ron and Yukio, seeing no way out, told Shura everything about Norbert and their plan to have Charlie take the dragon away. When they were finished, Shura stared at them before bursting out laughing.

"Oh, God!" she laughed. "No wonder Hagrid's been avoiding me! All because he's playing House with a baby dragon!"

"Hagrid's been avoiding you?" asked Yukio.

Shura wiped a tear from her eye before she dug through her desk and pulled out a canister of holy water and a washcloth. "Yeah, he's been avoiding me. We're drinking buddies. Whenever he had time to spare after dinner, we'd go to Hogsmeade and drink at the local pub," she explained. "Man, the one time I couldn't go out drinking with him and he gets his mitts on a dragon egg. The guys back at the Vatican would _never_ believe that!"

"The Vatican?" asked Ron as he held his hand out for Shura to clean. "You mean where the Pope lives?"

"You're right about the Pope living there, but the Vatican also serves as the headquarters for the Knights of the True Cross," Shura explained, wrapping Ron's hand in bandages. "Okay, I treated the temptaint, but Madam Pomfrey's gonna have to do the rest."

Ron suddenly paled. "Do you think she'll know what a dragon bite looks like?" he asked worriedly.

"You're asking me? Do I look like a healer to you?" Shura asked exasperatedly.

~0~0~0~

Ron had to go to the Hospital Wing the following morning. At this point, his hand had swollen up to the size of a baseball glove.

"It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although it feels like its about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books just so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me - I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me - I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."

"Trust me, it was worth beating him up," said Rin.

"It will all be over Saturday night," Hermione assured Ron. Charlie had responded to their letter, saying that he'd take Norbert away to Romania.

Ron suddenly shot up in his hospital bed. "Oh no! I've just remembered - Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took! He's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert!"

"What do we do now?" asked Yukio. No one had a chance to answer because Madam Pomfrey appeared and shooed everyone out of the Hospital Wing, saying Ron needed rest.

~0~0~0~

Saturday came and Ron was still in the Hospital Wing. It was up to Harry, Hermione, Yukio, and Rin to deliver Norbert to Charlie. Breaking away from his Ravenclaw friends was not easy for Yukio, who had to tell them that Professor Shura had an assignment for her third year students that had to be done at night. He felt bad for lying to them, but he didn't want to drag them into this situation.

Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a big crate.

"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," Hagrid sobbed. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."

"Hagrid, it's a _dragon_ ," said Yukio. "The only thing he'll feel is hungry. I doubt he'll get lonely."

"Don' talk like that aroun' him!" Hagrid said defensively. "He has feelin's too, y'know…"

"Trust us, he's not going to get lonely," said Rin. From the crate, ripping noises that sounded a lot like the teddy bear's head being torn off only emphasized his point.

Surprisingly, only Rin and Harry were needed to carry the crate.

"How are you not having trouble carrying this?" Harry grunted. "It weighs a ton!"

Rin tried to shrug as best he could. "Beats me. I've always been strong, even when I was really little," he said.

Midnight ticked closer and closer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. They went up another staircase, then another - not even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make things easier.

"Nearly there!" Harry panted as they finally reached the corridor beneath the highest tower. The crate was starting to feel heavy to Rin at this point.

"Wait, stop!" Hermione abruptly hissed. Sudden movements almost made them drop the crate. Despite the fact that they were under Harry's invisibility cloak, they shrank into the shadows as best they could. A lamp flared. Professor McGonagall stormed past them. She dragged Malfoy by the ear.

"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how _dare_ you -"

"You don't understand, professor!" Malfoy stammered pleadingly in a high pitched voice. "Harry Potter's coming - he's got a dragon!"

"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on - I shall see Professor Snape about you, Mr. Malfoy!"

After witnessing that scene, climbing the steep spiral staircase suddenly seemed like a piece of cake. They didn't dare throw off the invisibility cloak until they'd stepped out of the cool night air, all four of them grateful that they could breathe again. Rin and Hermione did a sort of jig.

"Malfoy's got detention!" Rin exclaimed gleefully.

"I know, I could sing!" an equally ecstatic Hermione replied.

"Don't, either of you," Harry advised, although he was just as happy as everyone else was. About ten minutes later, Charlie and his friends showed up. They were a cheery group; they showed the four children the harness they'd rigged up on their broomsticks, so they can suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into the harness and then they shook hands with Charlie and his friends and thanked them all.

They then flew off with the dragon. Norbert was forever out of their lives. They descended down the staircase, all with grins on their faces.

"Norbert's gone, Malfoy's got detention. Can this night get any better?" Rin asked.

He got his answer when the three Gryffindors and one Ravenclaw caught sight of a figure waiting for them at the bottom of the staircase. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed out of the darkness, a big toothy grin spread across his decrepit face.

"Well, well, well," he whispered. "We _are_ in trouble."

Yukio turned to his brother. "You _had_ to say something," he grumbled.

~0~0~0~

Shura walked up the stairs, having just returned from the pub where Hagrid drowned his sorrows at having lost Norbert. She was about to reach the sixth floor where her office was located when she saw Argus Filch escorting four Gryffindor students downstairs from the Astronomy Tower. Shura recognized them as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and the Okumura brothers. She raised her eyebrows when she saw Yukio of all people out way past midnight with other students. He never struck her as the type of student to get into trouble (staying out late in the library did not count in her book).

Remembering the plan regarding Norbert and curious, Shura went up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower to see what happened and to see if the plan was a success. The area was empty. There didn't seem to be any trace of the dragon anywhere. Satisfied that Norbert was gone and no one's jobs were in danger (especially Hagrid's), Shura turned to leave but something caught her eye. Something that looked like a cloak was laying in a corner. She picked it up and saw how fluid the fabric felt. Curious, Shura wrapped it around herself and saw that her entire body disappeared. Shocked, she ripped the cloak off herself. This had to have been an invisibility cloak she had heard about. Shura figured this must had belonged to Potter or one of his friends.

~0~0~0~

The atmosphere the following morning was very melancholy. Two hundred points from Gryffindor, twenty points from Slytherin, and fifty points from Ravenclaw. Poor Neville was caught up in the whole thing regarding Norbert. He had snuck out to warn Harry and the others about what Malfoy was up to but was caught and suffered the consequences of Harry and the others' actions. Rin felt rotten to the core for dragging his fellow Gryffindor into this. Yukio's Ravenclaw friends were not as upset with him as the rest of the school (Yukio told them Filch caught him while he was returning from his "late night assignment").

Harry got the worst of it. The only people who were happy about this development was Slytherin House ("Thanks, Potter. We owe you one!"). The others got plenty of hate as well. Ron and Hermione had to keep an irritated Rin from beating the haters into a pulp. Hermione had a hard time dealing with all of the negative attention. She no longer tried to draw attention in class, keeping her head down and working in silence. Ron tried to cheer his friends up but to no avail.

As Introduction to Demonology was being let out for the Gryffindors and Slytherins, Shura spoke up.

"Potter, I'd like to speak with you," she said. Harry looked at Ron, Rin, and Hermione. "Alone."

Harry's friends left the classroom, leaving him and Shura alone in the classroom.

"Yes, professor?" Harry asked nervously.

Shura leaned forward, her chin on top of her hands. "I heard about your dragon escapades from your friend, Weasley," she started. Harry shifted his feet, looking upset about being found out. "Don't get upset with him, Potter, I made Weasley talk."

"So, what do you want to talk with me about?" he asked.

Shura pulled out Harry's invisibility cloak. "Does this look familiar?" she asked with a knowing smirk on her face.

"How did you -?"

"Found it at the top of the Astronomy Tower after Filch caught you and your pals the other night," Shura answered. "I'm not gonna lie, having something like this at Hogwarts does have its benefits. Sneaking around the castle after hours, for example, but remember to keep something like this safe. Losing something this valuable would be the stupidest thing you could do. Plus, your old man would be turning in his grave if you lost it."

"How -?"

"Don't ask me how I know it belonged to yer old man. A little birdie in the Forbidden Forest told me about it," said Shura. "Speaking of which, you, Granger, Longbottom, the Ferret, and the Okumura brothers are to report to Filch in the entrance hall at eleven o'clock tonight."

Harry nodded shamefully. He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of revision lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry, she felt they deserved what they got.

Harry looked up at Shura. "You… You're not going to tell Professor Dumbledore or anyone about Norbert, are you?" he asked.

"Nah," Shura said with a dismissive wave. "As a baby, he wasn't a danger to the school. He was just a pest that needed to go away ASAP. If he had gotten bigger than Hagrid's hut, then yes, I would have had to tell the boss about it."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Professor Shura."

Shura just nodded and shooed Harry away. "No problem. Now get outta here and get ready for tonight. I'll see ya guys then."

* * *

 **Brace yourselves! The Forbidden Forest is up next! We'll be seeing some demons there, especially one certain demon you've been asking for.**

 **Keep reviewing!**


	18. Into the Woods

**Whew! I worked all weekend on this one! We get an appearance from a certain Demon King in this chapter. I've worked REALLY hard on this, so I'm expecting a lot of reviews on this (followers, I'm looking at you!).**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

 **Into the Woods**

"Big Brother, why are we keeping an eye on those small children?"

Mephisto sipped some tea while sitting in his floating easy chair. He, as well as his younger brother, were sitting and observing Hogwarts and the school grounds above the barrier keeping high level demons out.

"Three of those children are very valuable to our order and to Albus Dumbledore," Mephisto answered. "Should anything happen to them while they're in the deep, dark forest, the wizarding world as we know it would be in deep trouble. If a certain Dark wizard were to return and wreak havoc, the Vatican and the wizarding world would get into a nasty conflict. Hate for that to happen."

"But Big Brother, we aren't guardian angels. Why should we care what happens to those children?"

"Because one of those children is the spawn of Satan."

Mephisto's younger brother lifted his eyebrows. "One of them is our little brother? Can I play with him, Brother? Please?" he asked excitedly.

"No, you may not," Mephisto answered sternly. "He has not awakened his demonic powers yet. Your idea of 'playing' would surely get him killed."

The younger brother frowned but nodded nonetheless. "What about the other two children you mentioned? Why should we care about them?"

"Well, the one with moles on his face is the spawn of Satan's twin brother. No, he does not have Satan's flames. He's one hundred percent human as far as we know. We could be wrong, of course. The one with the lightning shaped scar on his forehead is destined to defeat a Dark wizard in the future. Without him, the wizarding world is doomed," Mephisto replied. "And I'd hate to lose access to those Every Flavor Beans they make."

The younger brother gnawed on his thumbnail. "So, what now, Big Brother? If I can't play with those children, what do you want me to do?" he inquired.

"For now, watch them," Mephisto answered. "This barrier only covers the castle and the school grounds. You have free reign in the Forbidden Forest. If anything tries to harm those children, I want you to dispose of it immediately."

~0~0~0~

"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me… it's just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days. I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed…"

Yukio and Rin shuddered at that statement.

' _He's a sadist!'_

They marched off across the grounds. Neville kept sniffling. Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really terrible or Filch wouldn't be so excited about it. The moon was bright, but clouds sailing across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lit windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard two distant shouts.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want to get started," Hagrid shouted.

"Took ya long enough, Argus! The sooner we get this done, the better," Shura added. Harry's heart rose. If they were working with Hagrid and Professor Shura, then it couldn't be that bad.

His relief must had been shown on his face because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf and Shura? Well, think again, boy - it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

At this, Neville let out a whimper and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks. "The forest?" he repeated with fear. "We can't go in there at night - there'll be all sorts of things in there - werewolves, I heard." Neville grabbed Rin's sleeve upon hearing this and let out another whimper.

Shura and Hagrid walked up out of the dark towards them.

"You're not trying to scare 'em, are ya, Argus?" asked Shura, her purple sword resting on her shoulder.

Hagrid was carrying his crossbow, and a large quiver hung over his shoulder, Fang at his heel. "We've bin waitin' fer half an hour already," he complained. "All right, Harry, Rin, Hermione, Yukio?"

Filch scowled. "I wouldn't be too friendly with them, Hagrid. They're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why yer late, is it?" asked Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' 'em, eh? 'Snot yer place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, we'll take over from here."

"We'll see ya at dawn, Argus, thanks," said Shura.

"I'll be back… for what's left of them," Filch said nastily as he returned to the castle. Neville let out a sob and yet another whimper at that statement.

Malfoy turned to Hagrid and Shura. "I'm not going in that forest," he said adamantly. Harry and Rin were pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.

"Tough luck, Ferret," Shura bluntly said as she picked up what looked like a gas canister.

"Yeh're goin' in if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," Hagrid said fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay for it."

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be writing lines or something," Malfoy complained.

Shura burst out laughing at that. "'Servant stuff,' he said! Well, Ferret, tonight you'll be walking a mile in a servant's shoes, whether you like it or not. Writing lines never did anybody any good. Now hold still, all of ya."

She then splashed everyone with the contents of the canister. At first, Harry was alarmed at what she was doing, but saw that there was a cross on the canister and immediately knew that she splashed them with holy water.

She then did the Sign of the Cross. "'In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,'" she recited.

"What was that for?" asked Harry.

"Protection against demons," Shura explained. "It should last until the water dries."

"Hot, hot, hot!" Rin cried. Harry turned and, in the dim light of Hagrid's lantern, saw that Rin's face was bright red, like he was suffering from a sunburn. He didn't understand, the water wasn't hot at all. "Not so hot next time!"

Shura lifted an eyebrow. "Interesting," she muttered.

Malfoy shook the dripping water from his hands. "If my father knew I was doing this -"

"He'd tell yeh that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!"

Rin, who had managed to get over the "hot" holy water burning him, snickered. "Daddy's not here for you to hide behind," he mocked.

Malfoy scowled. "Shut it, Okumura!"

Shura slammed her sword into the ground. "Alright, kids! Listen up, 'cause what we're doin' tonight is dangerous and we don't want you to take too many risks. Follow us," she ordered.

The group followed the adults to the edge of the forest. Hagrid, holding his lamp high, pointed down a narrow, winding path into the dark trees. They walked a ways until they stopped when Hagrid pointed at something on the ground.

"Look here," Hagrid said. "See that stuff shinin' on the ground? The silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in here bin hurt badly by summat."

"Same one?" asked Shura.

"No," Hagrid answered gravely. "This is the second time in a week. I found a dead one last Wednesday."

"Damn," Shura cursed. "We better find the poor thing or we're gonna have to put it out of its misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" asked Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice. Neville let out a small cry and held onto Harry's robes.

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me, Fang, or Professor Shura," Hagrid assured. "An' keep ter the path."

"And pull yourselves together," Shura added. "Demons lurk in this forest as well. They can literally smell fear. You show it in your words and actions and they'll get you."

Neville let out a louder cry of fear.

"Calm down, Neville," Hermione encouraged.

Shura sighed and rolled her eyes. "Alright, Longbottom clearly needs some reassurance," she muttered. She pulled out a small vial with a four-leaf clover inside it. She gave it to Neville. "Keep this in your pocket. It'll keep low level demons away from you."

Neville snatched it from her hands and held it close to his chest, like a small child clutching a security blanket.

"Right, now, we're gonna split into two groups an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions," said Hagrid. "There's blood all over the place, it must've been staggerin' around since last night at least."

"I want Fang," Malfoy said quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. "So, me, Harry, Hermione, and Rin'll go one way an' Draco, Yukio, Neville, Fang, and Professor Shura'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yeh wands out an' practice now - that's it - an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll come find yeh - so be careful - let's go."

~0~0~0~

"Can't believe this is my punishment for staying out after curfew," Malfoy grumbled.

"Can't do the time, don't do the crime," Shura stated, Fang close at her heels.

Yukio (who Neville was now clutching) turned to Malfoy. "Scared, Malfoy?" he asked the Slytherin.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. " _Please_ , Okumura! Anyone with common sense would be scared to step foot into this bloody forest," he said.

"For once, you're right, Ferret," said Shura. "Anyone with half a brain wouldn't enter these woods without good reason. If you don't know how to protect yourself from the monsters and demons that lurk in these woods, then stay out."

"So, why are we here and not some… professional to look for the injured unicorn?" asked Malfoy.

"You saying that I'm not a professional?" Shura asked in a dangerous tone.

"It's quite obvious, isn't it? You're a Squib," said Malfoy.

Yukio's eyebrows shot up. "She's a what?"

"A Squib. Someone who was born into a magical family, but has no magical talent whatsoever," Neville meekly explained.

"And frankly, I don't care if I can't perform magic. You could say an exorcist can do their own 'magic' and… Okay, where's the Ferret?" she said. The three turned in all directions, wondering where Malfoy disappeared.

~0~0~0~

"Hagrid, look! Red sparks! The others are in trouble!" Hermione exclaimed when she looked up into the sky.

Rin felt the blood drain from his face. "Oh, no! Yukio!"

"You three wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back fer yeh!" They heard him crashing through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling sound of the leaves.

"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.

"I don't care if Malfoy's hurt," said Harry. "And Yukio seems like he can handle himself, but if something got Neville… It's our fault he's here in the first place."

"Yukio may be able to handle himself, but I'm still worried," said Rin, always worried about his little brother. Several minutes crawled by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual.

Rin kept his eyes peeled for anything unusual. He did not want anything to pop out at them and catch them by surprise. He did notice, however, outlines of strange creatures jumping from tree to tree.

"Do you guys see those?" he asked.

Harry and Hermione looked where Rin was looking.

"I don't see anything, Rin," said Hermione.

"It's too dark to see," said Harry.

"They kind of look like monkeys," Rin observed. "Really ugly, green monkeys."

"I still can't see them," said Hermione.

"Are they demons, maybe?" asked Harry.

"Perhaps," said Hermione, "but Rin doesn't have a temptaint, does he?"

The two looked at their blue-haired friend who shook his head. "I don't think I have one. I haven't been bitten or scratched by anything as far as I know," he insisted.

"Kuro didn't do anything to you?" asked Harry.

Rin shook his head no. "He's either wandering around the school or going back and forth between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Towers."

At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Neville, who was covered in strange bug bites, was gripping the back of his neck. Shura had Malfoy in a headlock. Yukio just looked annoyed.

"What happened?" asked Hermione.

Shura shoved Malfoy forward. "The Ferret, here, thought it would be funny to hide and sneak up behind Longbottom, who fell into a chuchi nest," she growled. "Got bitten good. I'm gonna have to get the bites treated in case the chuchi laid any eggs in him."

"I sent up the sparks," Yukio added.

"Chuchi?" asked Harry.

"Demon moths that drink your blood. If a female lays eggs in you, the larva will latch onto your nervous system in your brain and turn you into their puppet," Shura explained. Neville started crying. "I wasn't gonna sugarcoat it, kid. Best if you knew now." She then turned to Hagrid. "Sorry, big guy. I'm gonna have to take this one back to the castle for treatment."

"I understand, Shura," said Hagrid. Shura nodded and walked Neville back to the castle. "We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you've been makin' Malfoy. Right, we're changin' groups - Yukio, you stay with me an' Hermione. Harry, Rin, you go wit' Fang an' this idiot. I'm sorry," he added in a whisper. "But he'll have a harder time frightenin' you two, an' we've gotta get this done."

"Trust us, he won't scare us," Harry and Rin said simultaneously.

~0~0~0~

The three students walked with Fang through the dark forest for half an hour. Rin and Harry were getting a headache from hearing Malfoy's constant complaining. Rin was starting to wonder if those strange green monkeys would come out and attack them (at this point, Rin didn't care if an army of mountain trolls attacked, as long as it shut Malfoy up).

Harry was looking in all directions, his hand gripping his wand in his pocket. It was hard to see what was in the forest, even with the lantern that Malfoy was carrying. From time to time, Harry could have sworn he saw someone walking through the trees that were dimly lit by the moonlight.

"Do either of you feel like we're being watched?" he asked Rin and Malfoy.

Rin shook his head and noticed that the puddles of unicorn blood were getting bigger.

"I think we're getting close," Rin noted.

There were splashes on the root of a nearby tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of the thick trees.

"Look!" he said, holding his arm out in front of Rin and Malfoy to stop them. Something bright white was gleaming on the ground in the moonlight. They inched closer and saw that it was indeed the unicorn, but it was dead. Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad.

Rin looked devastated. "We're too late," he breathed. Its long, slender legs were stuck out in all directions and its mane was spread pearly white in the dirt.

Harry had taken one step towards it when a slithering noise made him freeze where he stood. A bush quivered, then… out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground, like a beast stalking its prey. Harry, Rin, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound on the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.

Rin felt his stomach lurch. "I think I'm gonna be sick," he croaked.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Malfoy screamed and ran away with Fang following close behind.

The figure lifted his head and looked right at Harry and Rin - unicorn blood dripping down its front. It got on its feet and moved swiftly towards the two boys - both were frozen where they stood out of fear.

Harry then gripped his forehead in pain. He staggered backwards until he fell to the ground. Only then did Rin snap out of it.

"Harry? Harry!" Rin cried as he moved to help Harry. He looked up and saw the figure getting closer. Rin stood up and stood in front of his friend with his wand out. "G-Go away!" he exclaimed, trying to act brave. Every spell he'd learned throughout the year suddenly flew out the window. The figure reached out towards the boys.

Something in Rin snapped.

"GO AWAAAAAAYYYY!"

Rin's body became engulfed in blue flames again, but he didn't care. If this guy wanted to get to Harry, he'd have to get through Rin first.

Harry, through the burning pain of his scar, squeezed an eye open and saw Rin on fire.

"R-Rin?" he said.

The figure backed up a little at this spectacle but he didn't flee. When the flames died down a little, the figure began to cautiously continue towards the boys.

Another figure then jumped out of the trees and punched the figure. The hit was hard enough to make the hooded figure flee deeper into the forest. The pain in Harry's scar began to subside and his vision cleared. This figure looked like a young adult. His hair had a single spike that was a lighter shade of green compared to the rest of his dark green hair. His fingernails were long, black, and clawlike.

"I saw the blue flames from a distance. They remind me of my father," the figure said.

"Who… Who are you?" asked Harry.

The man tilted his head. "I'm Amaimon, Demon King of Earth," he introduced himself.

"Demon King?" Rin repeated.

"I can control the earth and certain demons," he simply explained.

"If you're a demon… why did you help us?" asked Harry.

"Big Brother said that you two are important and that if anything happened to you, there would be problems," Amaimon answered. His eyes then landed on Rin. "I want to play with you but Big Brother says you're not ready yet."

Rin shuddered. ' _That sounds nasty for some reason!'_

Amaimon looked at where the hooded figure disappeared. "That guy was stupid to drink unicorn blood. It'll keep you alive, but at a price. You'll live a half life, a cursed life if you so much as drink a drop of the stuff," he explained.

"Why's that?" asked Rin.

"Why kill something so pure and defenseless to save yourself?"

"But why drink unicorn blood if it does that to you?" asked Harry.

Amaimon looked at Harry. "Someone who wants to come back to finish what he started ten years ago," he answered, eyeing Harry's scar. "I think you have a good idea who I'm talking about."

"Voldemort."

Amaimon had to hold back a laugh. "Funny name for a mortal," he snickered.

~0~0~0~

Amaimon roughly dragged Harry and Rin back to the path. All three of them were silent. The Demon King stopped abruptly when he saw movement ahead of them and let the boys go.

"Harry! Rin! Are you two alright?" Hermione ran towards them down the path, Hagrid and Yukio following close behind.

"Yeah, we're fine. Amaimon -" Rin turned and saw that Amaimon was gone. "- saved us…"

"What about the unicorn?" asked Yukio. "Did you find it?"

Harry nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Hagrid. The unicorn is dead. It's in the clearing back there," he said.

Hagrid nodded. "All righ'. Yeh all must be tired. Let's head back."

~0~0~0~

After bidding Yukio good night, Rin, Harry, and Hermione returned to Gryffindor Tower where they found Ron fast asleep in a chair near the fireplace. They woke him up and explained everything that happened in the forest.

Harry was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. "Snape wants the Stone for Voldemort… and Voldemort's waiting in the forest… and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich," he ranted.

"Stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.

"Dude, it's a name. And a very stupid one at that," said Rin.

"So, all I've got to wait for now is for Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly. "Then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off."

Hermione looked pretty upset but she had a word of comfort. "Harry, everyone says that Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you."

Rin lit up at that revelation. "She's right, Harry. Voldemort would have to be the dumbest Dark wizard ever if he tried to get you with Dumbledore around," he said.

" _Will you stop saying that name?_ " Ron asked in a harsh whisper.

Harry nodded and yawned. "We should be getting to bed if we want any sleep at all. G'night."

Everyone wished each other good night and went to bed.

* * *

 **Blue flames, Amaimon, and chuchi, oh my!**

 **Since Shura and Filch are both Squibs, they kind of have an understanding about each other. That's why Filch doesn't have as much animonsity towards her. Side note: Shura gave Filch a book of fatal verses to kill any pesky demons that are lurking in the halls of Hogwarts.**

 **We're almost there, folks! Keep this up, and I might do Year 2. I hope I get a lot of reviews because I have a lot of ideas for the Chamber of Secrets.**

 **REVIEW!**


	19. Planning

**Sorry, folks, but this chapter is going to be a little on the short side. The next one, I'm planning on making it as long as I can.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

 **Planning**

 _Harry was lying down on the ground with Rin standing protectively in front of him as the hooded figure stood over them. Green light filled Harry's vision but it soon turned blue._

 _Blue flames._

 _Everywhere._

 _The hooded figure was gone but something was different about Rin. He turned around and faced Harry. He seemed older. Two tongues of blue flames danced on his forehead. His ears were elongated, fangs were visible in a feral snarl, his irises were blue and red vortexes, and a tail with a blue flame on the end was sticking out of his back._

 _Harry just stared at his friend. He practically looked like a demon._

 _Rin let out an animalistic snarl, his front teeth now pointed. Harry couldn't look away from those horrific vortexes in Rin's eyes. The blue flames surrounded Harry…_

~0~0~0~

Harry shot up in his bed, his body caked in cold sweat. Breathing heavily, he looked around and saw that he was in his dormitory with the other first year Gryffindor boys. He put his glasses on and looked towards Rin's bed (located in-between Ron's bed and Neville's bed). He was sound asleep, drool was trickling down from the corner of his mouth which was wide open. Kuro was curled up on Rin's chest, a bubble was coming out of the demonic cat's nose, signifying that he was also asleep.

Harry smiled a little and shook his head. There was no way Rin was that monster from his dream. Anyone who could make delicious mochi, collect Famous Witches and Wizards cards, and repeatedly cause explosions with Seamus Finnigan couldn't be a monster. Rin hated Malfoy as much as Harry, Ron, and Hermione did. Heck, Rin broke the Slytherin's nose twice because of his teasing. What kind of monster protected Hermione from a mountain troll or Harry from that hooded figure in the forest?

But what about the blue flames? That was the second time he had witnessed those flames erupting from Rin's body. The strangest thing about them was that they never burned Rin or the clothes he wore. Not even his wand was scorched during the incident in the forest! Rin was just as puzzled as Harry and the others regarding these flames.

Yawning, Harry took his glasses off and went back to sleep, putting these thoughts in the back of his mind before they kept him up for the rest of the night.

~0~0~0~

Naturally, Rin felt nervous about finals since studying was not one of his strengths (even with Hermione and Yukio's help). To make matters worse, it was sweltering hot, especially in the large classrooms where they wrote their papers. Everyone was given special quills for the exams, which were bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.

They had practical exams too. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his classroom to see if they can make a pineapple tap dance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuff box (despite the fact that Rin was successful in the transfiguration, his still had scorch marks).

Snape made everyone nervous during his practical exam, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness Potion. He gave Rin an extra nasty sneer when he was the first to turn in his potion.

Demonology was particularly hard for Ron since he was unfamiliar with the weapons dragoons used to kill demons (and he kept calling doctors "healers"). Rin had a difficult time remembering certain fatal verses that arias used against demons.

Everyone was cheering when final exams were finally finished. The group flocked outside to enjoy the sunshine and talk about their finals.

"It was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione. "I needn't have learnt about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

"Then they probably weren't important," said Rin as he flopped down against a tree near the lake. Hermione loved talking about their tests afterwards, but Ron and Rin said that it made them feel ill.

Yukio looked at Harry who was clutching his forehead. "You okay, Harry?"

"I wish I knew what this _means_!" he said angrily. "My scar keeps hurting - it's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermoine suggested.

"I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning… it means danger's coming…"

Rin rolled his eyes. "Relax, Harry. As long as Dumbledore's around, Snape won't even try to get the Philosopher's Stone. He doesn't even know how to get past Fluffy. He bit Snape once, I doubt he'd try again," he assured his friend.

It didn't seem to help Harry. His green eyes followed an owl flying towards the castle. He then suddenly shot up to his feet.

"Where're you going?" Ron asked sleepily.

"I've just thought of something," said Harry. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now." He walked off towards Hagrid's hut. His friends looked at each other before following him.

"Why?" Hermione asked, trying to keep up.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up a slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything in the world is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have a dragon egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs in their pockets when it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see this before?"

"What are you going on about?" asked Ron.

"Yeah, can you tell us what you're talking about?" asked Rin.

They found Hagrid sitting in an armchair outside his hut shelling peas. He looked up and smiled. "Hullo," he greeted. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please," said Ron but Harry cut across him.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you played cards with look like?" Harry inquired.

"Dunno," Hagrid answered casually. "He wouldn't take his cloak off." He saw the five of them looked stunned and raised his eyebrows. "It's not unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk at the Hog's Head - that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn't he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?" he asked.

"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah… he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here… He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I looked after… so I told him… an' I said what I'd always really wanted a dragon… an' then… I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks… Let's see… yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted… but he had ter be sure I could handle it, an' he didn't want it ter go ter any old home… So, I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy."

"And did he - did he seemed interested in Fluffy?" asked Harry with a trace of fear in his voice.

"Well - yeah - how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep -" Hagrid stopped, looking horrified. "I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey - where're yeh goin'?"

The five children didn't speak to each other at all until they reached the entrance hall. "So, what now?" asked Rin.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak - it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Where's his office?"

"Do you really think he'll believe five first year students?" Yukio asked skeptically.

Before anyone can answer, someone called out to them, "What are you lot doing inside?"

They turned and saw it was Professor McGonagall who was carrying a load of books.

"We need to see Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said rather bravely since the look the teacher was giving them would make the scariest demon quiver in fear.

"See Professor Dumbledore?" she repeated, as though she was on to them. "Why?"

Harry swallowed loudly. "It's kind of a secret," he said nervously. They all felt small as McGonagall's nostrils flared.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. Rin felt his stomach drop at this development. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off to London at once."

"He's _gone_?!" Harry cried frantically. " _Now_?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time -"

"This is important!" Rin exclaimed.

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Okumura?"

"Look," Harry started before looking around to make sure no one else was listening. "Professor, it's about the Philosopher's Stone -"

Obviously Professor McGonagall was not expecting anyone, let alone a group of first year students, to know about that tidbit of information. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't bother to pick them up. "How do you know-?" she sputtered.

"We have reason to believe that someone is going to steal it," Yukio explained.

McGonagall eyed the children with a mixture of shock, suspicion, and disbelief. "Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But, Professor -"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said bluntly. She bent down and gathered her books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."

None of them took her advice. As soon as McGonagall was out of earshot, Harry told the group, "It's tonight. Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note. I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."

Rin suddenly paled. "Uh, Harry…" he started. Everyone wheeled around and saw Professor Snape standing there as ominous as ever in his black robes.

"Good afternoon," he said with an odd, twisted smile. "You shouldn't be inside on a day like this."

 _'And you shouldn't smile like that. It's giving me the creeps.'_

"We were -" Harry started, but it was clear that he had no idea what to say.

"You'd want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're… up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can they?" Harry flushed and he and the others turned to go back outside, but Snape called them back. "Be warned, Potter - anymore nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you." He then strode off towards the staff room.

"I'm starting to understand why you guys don't like him," Yukio remarked as they sat down on the stone steps.

"And it only took you the entire term," said Ron.

Yukio gave the redhead a deadpanned look. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," he said. Ron held his hands up in surrender.

Harry then turned to the others. "Here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape - wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it."

"I volunteer Hermione," said Rin.

"Wha-?"

"Good idea, Rin," Harry agreed.

"Wait, hold on a second!" Hermione interrupted. "Why me? Why am I the one who has to guard the staff room?"

"It's obvious," said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He then put on a high-pitched voice. "'Oh, Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen _b_ wrong…'"

Rin burst out laughing.

"Oh, shut up!" Hermione exclaimed, very annoyed. In the end, she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.

~0~0~0~

Yukio put his wand and a Wiggenweld potion he brewed with leftover potion ingredients in his bag. He then tiptoed outside of the dormitory and down the stairs. He agreed to meet Rin and the others at the tapestry he'd hidden behind for Harry's duel with Malfoy.

"Going out again?"

Yukio turned and saw Terry sitting in an armchair. A book was sitting in his lap.

Yukio sighed. "Sorry, Terry. It's important," he said.

"Why do you keep sneaking out after curfew? I know you're trying to look after your brother, but this is taking it a little far," said Terry.

Yukio sighed again. He had to get to the tapestry soon. He didn't have time to have a debate with Terry. "Look, the Philosopher's Stone is at Hogwarts and someone is going to steal it tonight. My brother and his friends and I are going to try to get it before the thief does," he summarized. "If I'm not back by dawn, go to Professor McGonagall." He turned and left the common room, leaving Terry alone.

* * *

 **Yeah, like I said, it's kind of short. But I'm saving room for when they go down the trapdoor. Think of this as an appetizer.**

 **So, what did you think about the beginning of this chapter? I figured Harry deserved to have a taste of what the blue flames really are, even if it's in a dream. He needs to realize that they're nothing to sneeze at.  
**

 **I still haven't decided when Rin will draw the sword. If I did that, then I'd have to kill off Shiro and I'm not ready to get rid of such a badass character.**

 **Keep reviewing! We're almost at the end!**


	20. Rabbit Hole

**FINALLY! I finished this chapter! This was NOT easy to write! We're almost done here!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

 **Rabbit Hole**

Harry and the others managed to reach the tapestry Yukio was hiding behind after driving Peeves away. Since the invisibility cloak wasn't big enough to cover all five of them, Yukio had to hide behind various tapestries and suits of armor (something he had become very talented at from all the times he had to sneak back to Ravenclaw Tower from the library after hours). It wasn't long before they all managed to get to the third floor corridor… and the door was already ajar.

"Looks like Snape got a head start," Yukio noticed.

Underneath the cloak, Harry turned to his fellow Gryffindors. "If you want to turn back, I won't blame you. You can take the cloak, I won't need it now."

"Don't be stupid," said Ron.

"We're coming," said Hermione.

"You're not taking on Snape alone," said Rin.

"Strength in numbers," added Yukio.

Harry nodded gratefully. He then pushed the door open wider. As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dogs' noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them (Yukio waited outside the room).

"What's that at its feet?" whispered Hermione.

"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it here."

"It must wake up when it stops playing," said Harry. He then pulled out the flute Hagrid gave him for Christmas. "Well, here it goes…" He put it to his lips and blew. It wasn't a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes drooped and then closed. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased - it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the floor, fast asleep.

"It really worked," said Yukio, who entered the room as soon as the coast was clear.

"Keep playing," warned Ron as they slipped out of the cloak and crept towards the trapdoor. They could feel Fluffy's hot, smelly breath as they approached his three heads. "I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Who wants to go first?" Rin and Yukio pointed at each other.

"You should go first because you're the oldest," said Yukio.

"No, you should go first. You're smart, you'll figure out how to get rid of what's ahead of us," Rin reasoned. While the twins were arguing, Ron and Hermione were getting the trapdoor open.

"Then Hermione should go first. She's smarter than me," Yukio argued.

"What?!" Hermione hissed.

"See, Yukio, she doesn't want to go first," said Rin.

The two stared at each other. When they both refused to budge, they held their fists out and did a quick game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Rin lost.

"Four-eyed mole face," he grumbled as he lowered himself into the trapdoor. Yukio could only look away to hide a smug grin on his face. He fell through darkness for a short period of time until…

 _FLUMP!_

Rin landed in something soft and squishy. It looked like some kind of plant. Rin couldn't tell what kind of plant it was in the darkness. Harry then fell into the plant next, followed by Yukio, Ron, and Hermione (a loud bark was heard shortly before Hermione appeared).

"We must be miles under the school," said Harry.

"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.

" _Lucky?!_ " Hermione shrieked. "Look at us!" The plant came to life and started binding their bodies. Rin's legs were bound while a vine started to constrict around his torso. The boys all struggled to get free, which only made the vines tighter.

"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered. "I know what this is - it's Devil's Snare!"

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help!" Ron exclaimed sarcastically as he tried to keep a vine from wrapping around his neck.

"Shut up! I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" Hermione snapped.

"Can you remember faster?" Rin asked, the vine tightening its hold on him.

"I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, wrestling with the vines as it tightened around his chest.

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare… What did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and damp -" Hermione recalled.

"Then light a fire!" Yukio choked, his face turning blue.

"I can't! My arms are bound! I can't get my wand!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Now, what are we gonna do?" Ron cried.

Harry couldn't reach his wand either. He looked at his friends. It looked like no one could reach their wands. His green eyes then landed on Rin. He then got an idea.

"Rin! Use your flames!" Harry cried.

Everyone stopped struggling and looked at Harry like he had grown a second head.

"You want me to do _what_?!" Rin exclaimed.

"His flames?!" Yukio gasped.

"You sure that's a good idea?" asked Hermione.

"Do you have any other ideas?" Harry asked exasperatedly.

Rin shook his head. "But I can't! I don't know how to use them! I can't even control them!" he cried.

"RIIIIIINNNN!" Harry yelled desperately.

Seeing that there was no other choice, Rin closed his eyes and concentrated. How did he summon the flames before? The first time was when he and Hermione were about to be crushed by the mountain troll. And then there were those times he combusted in frustration during target practice. Finally, there was when Rin protected Harry from that hooded figure in the forest. So, what was the common denominator?

Ron let out a choking sound as the vine tightened its hold on his throat. Rin opened his eyes when he heard it. No time to think now.

"ROOOOONN!" Rin cried, as blue flames once again erupted from his body.

The blue flames spread through the room, burning the Devil's Snare. Harry saw some of the flames coming in his direction, squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the burning sensation that came with fire. The light of the fire could be seen through his eyelids. He felt the warmth tingling over his skin.

...Wait. Why wasn't it burning him? Where was the painful burning sensation? Harry slowly opened his eyes and was astounded that the blue flames weren't burning his skin. They were burning the Devil's Snare! Everyone was amazed that the flames weren't harming them in the least.

The flames felt… warm.

The plant eventually released everyone as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and frailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies and they were able to pull free.

"You guys okay?" asked Rin. "No one was burned?"

"No, I'm alright," said Harry. He looked at the others and they nodded their heads, saying they were also unharmed.

"Lucky Hermione paid attention in Herbology," said Ron.

Yukio turned to Rin. "How long have you been able to do that?" he asked sternly.

"Since Halloween," Rin answered.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Yukio angrily asked.

Rin frowned. "Was I supposed to?"

"I was kind of hoping you would. You've been able to summon blue flames since Halloween and you never told me?"

"Dumbledore's been helping me control it if it makes you feel better," Rin said in defense.

Harry then stepped in. "Look, can we talk about this later? We need to get moving."

Yukio looked at his twin brother, then at Harry and nodded.

Harry then took the lead and they all walked down the stone passageway that was the only way out. It was quiet for awhile until a soft rustling and clinking noise was heard up ahead.

"Do you hear something?" asked Ron.

"Yeah. What is that?" said Rin.

Harry listened to the noise some more. "Do you think it's a ghost?" he asked.

"Doesn't sound like any ghost I've ever heard," said Yukio.

"Sounds like wings to me," said Ron.

Hermione then pointed ahead. "There's a light up ahead. I can see something moving," she observed.

They reached the end of the passageway after a few moments and entered a brightly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a large wooden door.

"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" asked Ron.

"Probably," said Harry, "but they don't look vicious."

"Looks can be deceiving," Yukio reminded the group. "They may look small and nonthreatening, but if they all swooped down at once…" He shuddered at the thought of those birds attacking them at once.

"Well, let's see if they're dangerous," said Rin. He took a deep breath and dashed across the room with his arms shielding his head. He expected to feel sharp beaks or talons scratching and pecking at him, but nothing happened. He reached the door and tugged on the handle but it was locked. Rin tried the Unlocking Charm but it didn't work (besides a single flame licking the lock).

"Now what?" asked Ron.

Hermione stepped into the chamber, looking up at the weird birds. "These birds… they can't just be here for decoration," Hermione observed.

The others joined her in the chamber and observed the strange, glittering - wait, _glittering_?!

"They're not birds," said Yukio. "They're _keys_!"

"Winged keys," Harry added. "Look carefully."

"You're right!" Hermione exclaimed, squinting up at their odd shapes.

Harry looked around the room. "So that must mean… yes!"

"What?" questioned Ron.

"Look! Broomsticks! We've got to try to catch the key to the door!" Harry explained.

"But there are _hundreds_ of them!" Hermione explained.

"How will we know which one's the one we need?" asked Rin.

Yukio looked at the lock of the door. "We need to find one that looks different from the others," he guessed.

"Maybe it's a big, old-fashioned one - probably silver, like the handle," Ron assumed.

They all grabbed the broomsticks and kicked off into the air. They grabbed and snatched the keys, but the bewitched keys darted and dove so quickly that it was almost impossible to catch a single one (Rin collided with Ron and Yukio several times trying to catch a key).

They were all relying on Harry since he had a knack for spotting things others didn't. After a minute of weaving through the whirl of rainbow feathers, Harry spotted a large silver key with a bent wing, as if it were already caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.

"That one!" he pointed out to the others. "That big one there with the broken wing!"

"Okay!" Rin called as he tried (unsuccessfully) to catch the key. He crashed into a wall before slipping off his broom. "Nevermind, you guys get it…" he croaked.

Eventually, Harry managed to grab the key, landed, and managed to shove the key into the keyhole. The door was unlocked and Harry and Rin shepherded the others through. They slammed the door shut.

Propping the broomsticks against the wall, the group marched forward until they entered another chamber. Light suddenly flooded the room, revealing an astonishing sight. They were all standing on the edge of a giant chessboard with the black chessmen standing behind them.

Rin remembered several nights watching Ron beating Harry repeatedly at Wizard's Chess. Hermione thought the game was simply barbaric. Ron tried explaining the rules to Rin, but it went in one ear and out the other (Yukio was the only one who could put up a good game, but he still lost).

Rin tried walked past the white chessmen, but they came to life, drawing their swords and blocking his path. Rin yelped and jumped back.

"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."

"So, how should we do this?" asked Yukio. "Do we have to be chessmen?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right," he answered. He nervously walked up to a black knight piece. He placed his hand on the horse's snout and the horse suddenly sprang to life. It pawed the ground and the knight turned its head towards Ron. "Do we - er - have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron then turned to the others. "This takes thinking about."

"No kidding," said Yukio. "I'm good, but I'm not _that_ good."

Ron nodded. "Now, don't be offended or anything, but, besides Yukio, none of you are that good at chess."

"None taken," said Rin.

"Harry, you take the place of that bishop, Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle, Yukio, you take the place of the other castle, and Rin, you take the place of that pawn," Ron ordered.

"What about you?" asked Harry.

"I'll be a knight," said Ron. The chess pieces seemed to have heard because the bishop, castles, a knight, and a pawn stood up and walked off the chessboard.

A tick mark appeared on Rin's head. "If one of those white pieces beat me up, I'll beat _you_ up, Ron!" he threatened.

"He won't do that, Rin," Hermione assured him. The group split to their designated spots.

"White always moves first," Ron murmured, peering across the board. "Yes… look…" A white pawn moved forward two squares.

Ron then directed the black chess pieces, moving silently at every command. The white pieces were ruthless. There were several close calls, but Ron managed to keep his friends from getting taken by their opponents.

"Nearly there," said Ron. "Let me think, let me think…" The white queen turned her head towards the redhead. "Yes…" Ron said softly, "it's the only way. I've got to be taken."

"NO!" everyone shouted.

"That's chess!" Ron snapped. "You've got to make sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me - that leaves you to checkmate the king, Harry!"

"But -"

"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"

"Ron -"

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll have the Stone!" Ron argued.

Tears flooded Rin's eyes. He might not know the rules of chess, but if this was the only way for them to move forward, then so be it. He just hoped that Ron made it through this. Rin nodded.

Ron nodded back. "Here I go - now, don't wait around once you've won," he said. He stepped forward and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard in the head with her stone arm and he crashed to the floor. Blood was trickling down the side of his head.

"RON!" Harry and Rin cried.

Hermione was about to go to her unconscious friend when Yukio stopped her.

"Don't move! Remember, we're still playing," he reminded her. He then turned to Harry. "You know what to do, Harry. Take the king!"

Harry nodded and walked three spaces to the left and faced the white king.

"Checkmate!"

The white king responded by taking off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won the game. The chessmen bowed, leaving the door ahead clear.

Yukio ran towards Ron."Go on ahead," he said. "I'll try to bring him around and then take him to the Hospital Wing."

"What about you?" asked Rin.

Yukio responded by pulling out his Wiggenweld potion from his bag. "Ron probably has a concussion from the way the white queen hit him. This potion should at least stop the bleeding," he explained.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other before nodding. They then ran off towards the door. Rin looked back at Ron and Yukio before following them.

~0~0~0~

As soon as Rin, Harry, and Hermione left the room, Yukio went into doctor mode. He took off his shirt, bunched it up together, and put it under Ron's head as a makeshift pillow (he rolled him over on his back).

"Hang on, Ron," Yukio muttered, trying to assure himself that things were going to be alright. He uncorked the bottle of Wiggenweld and held it up to Ron's mouth.

Ron choked as the potion went down his throat, waking him up.

"Bloody hell," he coughed. "What is that?"

"Wiggenweld potion," Yukio answered. "It's a restorative potion. It should stop the bleeding. You might have a concussion."

Ron tried sitting himself up but swayed and fell back on Yukio's shirt. "My head hurts. I feel dizzy," he said.

Yukio nodded. "Definitely a concussion," he concluded. "Hopefully Madam Pomfrey will know how to fix you up."

He gently sat Ron up, making him take another sip of Wiggenweld. Yukio put Ron's arm over his shoulder and lead him out of the room (he put his shirt back on before that).

"Yukio! Ron!"

Both boys turned and saw Hermione running up to them.

"Hermione?"

"What are you doing here? Where are Harry and Rin?"

Hermione caught up to them and took a moment to catch her breath. "They went on ahead. There was a troll that was already knocked out and then we had to solve a riddle Snape left in the final chamber. Only two could go forward so Harry and Rin went on ahead," she explained.

Yukio looked down in thought. "It seems all the teachers, except Professor Shura, set up their own defenses for the Stone. Fluffy was Hagrid's, the Devil's Snare was Professor Sprout, the keys… probably Flitwick's, the chessboard must have been McGonagall, the troll must have been Quirrel, and I'm guessing that the riddle had something to do with Potions, right?" he assumed. Hermione nodded. "So, that must mean that the only defense left is Dumbledore's. Any idea what it could be?"

Hermione shook her head. "I have no idea." Ron then groaned in pain. "We better get out of here and get Ron to the Hospital Wing. Then we need to send an owl to Dumbledore and tell him to get back to Hogwarts as soon as possible."

Yukio adjusted his hold on Ron. "You contact Dumbledore, I'll get Ron to Madam Pomfrey."

"Good idea. Let's use the brooms we used earlier to get out of here. It'll be faster," Hermione suggested.

Yukio nodded. Hermione put Ron's other arm over her shoulder and the three of them went back the way they came to get help and first aid. Yukio looked over his shoulder towards the door Harry and Rin disappeared into. He hoped both of them could take on Snape by themselves.

* * *

 **I think I understand why some adaptations skip the key room scene. It drags on and we want to get to the chess scene.**

 **I made Yukio talented at wizard's chess as a little Easter egg to another anime character voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch. Can you guess who it is?**

 **Keep reviewing! We're almost done!**


	21. Showdown

**This was trickier than I thought! I hate coming up short! I'm not wasting any time on this. I just dove head first into the climax and went from there.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

 **Showdown**

Rin and Harry looked in disbelief at their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher standing in front of the Mirror of Erised. How? Why? Neither of them understood.

" _You_!" Harry gasped.

Quirrel smiled. No sign of his usual twitching at all.

"Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter." His eyes then landed on Rin. "I also wondered if you'd bring your hellspawn friend with you as well."

"Hellspawn?" Harry repeated.

Rin growled. "I'm not a hellspawn!" he exclaimed.

Quirrel laughed so loudly, it echoed throughout the chamber. "You don't have a clue, do you?" he asked in disbelief. "You never were that bright in my class."

Rin growled again at that statement, but inside, he was a little confused. Why did Quirrel call him a hellspawn?

Harry shook his head. "But - I thought," he stuttered in confusion. "Snape -"

"Severus?" Quirrel laughed. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around, like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrel?"

' _Well, he's right about the overgrown bat part.'_

Harry was still having a hard time taking all of this in; this just couldn't be true. "But Snape tried to kill me!" Harry yelled.

Quirrel shook his head. "No, no, no. _I_ tried to kill you!"

Rin's eyes widened. " _You_ tried to kill Harry at the Quidditch game?!" he repeated in disbelief.

Quirrel nodded with a smirk. "Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at the match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter-curse, trying to save you."

"Snape was trying to _save_ me?" Harry gasped in disbelief.

"That doesn't sound like him at all," said Rin.

"Of course," Quirrel said coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really...he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the teachers thought Snape was trying to keep Gryffindor from winning, he _did_ make himself very unpopular…and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you, Potter, tonight."

Quirrel snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves around Rin and Harry. They started struggling, trying to get themselves free.

"You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone," Quirrel ranted.

Rin and Harry stopped their struggling and looked at Quirrel in shock.

" _You_ let the troll in?" Harry gasped.

"How?" asked Rin.

"I have a special gift with trolls - you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off - and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even bite Snape's leg off properly," Quirrel explained. He then turned his attention to Rin. "It wasn't a complete loss, however. The scorch mark you left behind in the bathroom, Okumura, confirmed what I had suspected for several weeks."

"What are you talking about?" asked Rin.

"Those blue flames you wield are more powerful than you can imagine. I had suspicions since you started setting everything on fire in my class," Quirrel explained.

Rin looked away in embarrassment. Try as he might, every spell he was taught in Defense Against the Dark Arts (before Dumbledore started tutoring him) always resulted with something being set on fire.

Quirrel gave Rin an evil grin. "My master would love to make use of those flames," he said ominously. "Now, wait quietly, you two. I need to examine this mirror."

"What are we going to do?" Rin asked Harry in a harsh whisper.

"The mirror is the key to getting the Stone," Harry whispered back. "We have to keep Quirrel from figuring it out."

"Okay. Got any ideas?"

Harry then spoke up. "I saw you talking to Snape in the Forbidden Forest -"

"Yes," Quirrel idly responded, walking around the mirror to check out the back of it. "He was on to me at that point, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me - as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side." Quirrel then reappeared from behind the mirror and looked into it hungrily. "I see the Stone… I'm presenting it to my master… but where is it? Help me, Master!"

To both boys' horror and confusion, a voice hissed in reply as if it came from Quirrel himself. "Use the boys… Use the boys…"

Quirrel looked at both of them before deciding on Rin. He clapped his hands once and the ropes fell off him. Seeing no way out, Rin slowly approached Quirrel.

He roughly grabbed Rin's arm and pulled him in front of the mirror. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see," he ordered.

Rin looked into the mirror and saw to his shock an older version of himself, wearing what Rin assumed was an exorcist's uniform. It reminded Rin of Shiro for some reason.

"Well?" Quirrel asked impatiently. "What do you see?"

Rin blinked and regained his focus. "Uh… well…" he started nervously. "I… I see… myself casting really strong spells… and I'm not setting anything on fire." Something told Rin not to tell Quirrel what he really saw in the mirror.

Quirrel shoved Rin aside, snapped his fingers, and the ropes were back on Rin. Quirrel then clapped his hands again, and this time the ropes on Harry fell. As much as Harry wanted to make a run for it, Rin and the Stone were still in danger. He walked over to the mirror, his legs quivering the whole way.

"Now, what do you see?" Quirrel asked.

Rin looked at his friend. At first Harry seemed pretty scared but something must have happened because his face changed to astonishment. Rin looked at where Harry was looking in his reflection and saw a lump appear in his pocket.

' _That must be it! That's gotta be the Philosopher's Stone!'_

"I see… myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," Harry fibbed. "I just won the House Cup."

If Rin wasn't tied up, he would have facepalmed. Even Neville could come up with a better lie than that!

"Get out of the way," he snarled, shoving Harry away from the mirror.

The boy quickly ran over to help Rin free himself. Before he could even touch the rope, the voice spoke again. "He lies… He lies…"

The normally twitchy professor twirled around with an oddly fierce look on his face. "Potter, come back here!" he shouted. "I want the truth! What did you see!"

"Let me speak to them… face to face," the voice hissed. Where was it coming from?

"Master, you are not strong enough!" Quirrel protested in a feeble attempt.

"I have strength enough for this," the voice replied.

Quirrel then started unwrapping his turban. It was almost like he was unwrapping a present; unfortunately, there was nothing pretty or fun inside. As the turban fell away, Quirrel's head seemed to get smaller and smaller. When he was done, he slowly turned around.

What Rin and Harry saw was so frightening, both of them forgot to scream. Where there should have been the back of Quirrel's head, there was a face, the scariest face they'd ever seen. It was chalk white. Its eyes were scarlet and cat-like, complete with slitted nostrils, like a snake.

" _That's_ Voldemort?!" Rin gasped.

The face, Voldemort, glared at the boys.

"Harry Potter, Rin Okumura," Voldemort spat. "See what I have become? Mere shadow and vapor… I have form only when I can share another's body… But there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past few weeks… You both saw faithful Quirrel drinking it for me in the forest… and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own…"

"Not if I can help it!" Rin yelled, his body bursting into flames, destroying the ropes binding him. Rin dashed towards Quirrel, ready to sock him in the jaw.

Quirrel used his wand to conjure more ropes to incapacitate Rin. The boy fell to the floor in a tangled mess. However, the blue flames were already slowly burning the ropes away.

"Ah, yes," Voldemort hissed with a sinister grin. "The blue satanic flames I've heard so much about. They will be very beneficial to me."

Rin flinched at those words as the flames died out. Satanic? As in, the flames were connected to Satan?

Rin shook his head. "That's a lie!" he denied. "There's nothing evil about my flames!"

Voldemort smiled sadistically. "Those blue flames are more evil than you can imagine," he said. He then turned his attention to Harry. "Now, Potter… why don't you give me the Stone in your pocket?"

Harry stumbled backwards. Rin managed to break free of his bonds and scrambled to meet Harry. It was time to leave. They had the Stone, so there was no reason to stick around.

"Don't be fools," snarled the face. "Better save your own lives and join me…" His eyes then landed on Harry. "Or you'll meet the same end as your parents, Potter… They died begging me for mercy…"

"LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly.

Quirrel started walking backwards towards them, so Voldemort could still see them. The evil face was still smiling.

"How touching…" he hissed. "I always valued bravery… yes, Potter, your parents were brave… I killed your father first, and he put up a courageous fight… but your mother needn't have died… she was trying to protect you… now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."

"NEVER!" Harry yelled, putting his hand in his pocket, and gripping the Stone to ensure its safety.

"Let's get out of here!" Rin yelled. They both made a break for it.

"Seize them!" Voldemort yelled. Quirrel leapt at Harry. Rin shoved Harry out of the way and Quirrel landed on him. The two-faced man smacked Rin away and tried to go after Harry. In an act of desperation, Rin grabbed Quirrel's leg.

"Run, Harry! Get out of here!" Rin yelled. Quirrel kicked Rin in the face, making him let go. Refusing to give up, Rin tried tackling him but Quirrel fired a bright red light at him. Rin flew across the room and crashed into the wall. The impact was so great, it knocked the wind out of Rin's lungs.

Quirrel then tackled Harry before he could run and started strangling him. Rin shook his head and saw the weirdest thing he'd ever seen. Quirrel let go of Harry, screaming in pain. At the same time, Harry was clutching his forehead; his scar was burning. Quirrel was gripping his wrist as his hand was smoking and blistering, as if he had touched something extremely hot.

' _How did Quirrel's hand burn like that? Did I do that? Did Harry?'_

"SEIZE POTTER! SEIZE HIM!" Voldemort yelled.

"Master, I can't touch him! His skin burns me!" Quirrel howled.

"Then kill him!" Voldemort ordered. "Kill Potter and take Okumura and the Stone!"

Rin staggered to his feet. Blood was trickling down his face and mouth. Rin ran across the room and tried tackling Quirrel again. At the same time, Harry ran forward and clutched Quirrel's face with his bare hands. Quirrel screamed in pain, swinging his hands everywhere. One of his hands struck Rin across the face. Rin fell to the floor again, hitting his head. Rin tried to get back up, but blackness started surrounding his vision.

"Har...ry…" Rin croaked. "Run… Save… the… Stone…"

Blackness overcame his vision and he knew no more.

~0~0~0~

Dumbledore and Shura moved as quickly as possible towards the final room (Dumbledore ran into Shura as she was returning from the pub). After sending Ron, Hermione, and Yukio to the Hospital Wing, they both made their way to the third floor corridor. Given that Dumbledore and the Hogwarts staff were the ones who made the traps that guarded the Philosopher's Stone, getting to the final room was a piece of cake.

When they arrived at the final room, they came across a disaster. Quirrel's robes laid on the floor covered in what appeared to be dust. Harry Potter laid unconscious on the floor, a red stone was sitting in his hand. Rin Okumura was lying not too far from where Harry was laying, knocked out cold. Small blue flames dotted the floor from the stairway leading into the room to where the boy laid unconscious.

"Damn," Shura cursed. "I heard the other teachers talking, but I always told myself they were just bluebell flames."

Dumbledore knelt next to the unconscious Harry. "You knew about Rin's heritage," he stated, although it felt more like an accusation to Shura.

"I had a feeling. Last time I ignored my gut," said Shura as she walked over to Rin. "Dammit, Shiro, what were you thinking?"

"Father Fujimoto took them in to fulfill Yuri Egin's dying wish," Dumbledore answered.

Shura looked up at the old wizard. "So the rumors were true," she said, "Yuri was literally a witch."

Albus chuckled as he removed the Philosopher's Stone from Harry's hand and pocketed it. "She was, indeed, a witch," he confirmed. "Not the kind the Vatican describes, but an honest witch."

Shura nodded as she scooped Rin into her arms. "It would have certainly made things easier for you guys if she was still alive. Newt Scamander would have certainly gotten along with her," she said.

Dumbledore gathered Harry in his arms and started walking out of the room (Shura was surprised that Dumbledore was able to do that despite his age). Shura followed him.

"Will you be telling the Vatican about Rin?" asked Albus.

Shura looked down at the unconscious boy in her arms. He certainly looked innocent now despite the blood trailing down his face. Shura smirked.

"The Vatican wants me to report any heavy duty demonic activity at Hogwarts," she stated. "Does this kid look like a demon to you right now?" Dumbledore smiled. "If they do get wind of the blue flames appearing, just say that they're those bluebell flames you guys are able to conjure up. As far as I know, they don't know the difference."

Dumbledore could only chuckle as they carried the unconscious boys out of the room.

* * *

 **Before anyone throws a hissy fit, let me clear some things up:**

 **First: Voldemort has known about Rin's flames all year. If I'm correct, according to the book/movie, he had been underneath Quirrel's turban throughout the year, so, of course he's gonna know about the blue flames. Naturally, he wants this power to make himself stronger.**

 **Second: Throughout the anime/manga, Rin has always wanted to be a cool, strong person like Shiro. He still thinks he's 100% human at this point, so he sees a human adult version of himself in the Mirror of Erised. If Yukio were to look into the mirror, he'd see Yuri standing right next to him.**

 **Last: If you guys are gonna complain that Rin hardly put up a fight, let me remind you that he's only twelve years old at this point in the story! He may be unnaturally strong for his age, but he still has the body of a child. He's not invincible.**

 **There! Now that that's been settled, please review this chapter! I'm hoping I did a good enough job. Fighting scenes were never my strong suit...**


	22. Extraordinary Friends

**OMG! This took forever to write! I wanted to wrap this up in one chapter, but not to the point where it felt rushed (I really hope it didn't feel that way). So much has happened in my life lately that I haven't been able to write as much as I'd wanted.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 22**

 **Extraordinary Friends**

Rin groaned as he opened his eyes. His head felt like it was hit by a two-by-four. It also hurt a little to breathe. As his vision cleared, he realized that he was lying in a bed in the Hospital Wing. He looked around and saw Harry laying in another bed across the room fast asleep. A pile of sweets was teetering over him. Rin had an identical pile next to his bed.

He winced as he slowly sat himself up. Madam Pomfrey entered the room and saw him struggling to sit up.

"Mr. Okumura!" she softly exclaimed to avoid waking Harry. "You lay back down right this instant!" Rin flinched and did as he was told. "You're as durable as a rock. It's amazing that you were able to withstand that much damage."

"Wha-What do you mean?" Rin croaked. His throat felt like sandpaper. Madam Pomfrey gave him a sip of water.

"I mean that you were able to come out of that fight with only a bump on the head and three broken ribs," she said.

"Yeah. My head still hurts and it kinda hurts to breathe," said Rin.

"It only emphasizes my point," said Madam Pomfrey. She slowly sat him up and poured a potion into a goblet and gave it to Rin. "This will help mend your ribs."

Rin took a sip and spat it right out. It tasted like coins.

"Were you expecting pumpkin juice?" Madam Pomfrey asked in exasperation.

"To be honest, I was kind of hoping it would taste something like that," Rin replied. "Muggles have medicine that taste like fruit or candy to make it easier for kids to take."

"Well, we're not Muggles now, are we?" Madam Pomfrey snapped. She forced Rin to finish the potion followed by a bite of a chocolate frog to get rid of the taste.

"Is Harry okay?" Rin asked, his mouth full of chocolate.

"He will be. He hasn't woken up yet. You'll both be out of here in a few days," Madam Pomfrey assured him.

"What about Yukio? Ron and Hermione? Did they make it out okay?" Rin asked, getting more anxious after every question.

"They're all fine," Madam Pomfrey answered. "Mr. Weasley's concussion would have been a lot worse had it not been for your brother's quick thinking. He and Miss Granger are the only ones who came out of this whole thing with the least amount of damage."

The door opened and Professor Dumbledore entered the room.

"I apologize for the interruption, Poppy, but I must speak with Mr. Okumura alone," he said.

Madam Pomfrey's nostrils flared and nodded before leaving. She seemed to not like having her work interrupted.

Dumbledore then turned his attention to Rin. "How are you feeling, Rin?" he asked.

Rin swallowed his chocolate before answering. "Like a troll stepped on me."

Dumbledore chuckled before pulling a chair next to Rin's bed and sat down.

"I'm sure you have many questions about what happened between you, Harry, and Professor Quirrel," he said, "however, I cannot promise you that I will give you all of the answers."

Rin looked down in his lap, deep in thought. He had so many questions but he had no idea which one to ask first. What happened to Professor Quirrel? How did Harry wind up in the Hospital Wing with him? Why was Quirrel unable to touch Harry? Why did Voldemort want the blue flames he could (kind of) control?

Suddenly, the reason the children went down to the dungeons came forward in Rin's mind. "The Philosopher's Stone! Where is it? What happened to it? Did Voldemort get it?" Rin asked hastily.

Dumbledore held up a hand to calm Rin down. "Calm down, Rin. If you don't, Madam Pomfrey will not hesitate to throw me out, even if I am the headmaster of this school," he said. "The Stone has been destroyed."

Rin's eyes popped out. "Destroyed?! Why? What about your friend, Nicholas Flamel?" he exclaimed.

"Rin, you need to keep your voice down. I'm surprised that you know about Nicholas. Yes, he and I spoke and he decided that it's for the best. It will be like going to sleep after a very, _very_ long day," Dumbledore explained.

Rin felt conflicted. On the one hand, it felt like everything he and his friends had been through had been for nothing. On the other hand, it made sense that something so powerful would be better off destroyed. Speaking of powerful…

"What about my flames?" Rin inquired. "Voldemort said they were… satanic." He gripped his arms as the thoughts still lingered in the back of his mind. "Am I… a demon or something?"

A full minute of silence passed before Dumbledore answered. "You are a boy with an extraordinary power." He held his hand up to silence Rin before he could say anything. "Alas, I wish I could tell you more, but you are not old enough to understand the entire truth at this time."

Rin folded his arms and pouted. "I hate it when adults tell me that," he grumbled, causing Dumbledore to chuckle. "But I am a human, right?"

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles. "You are a boy wizard with amazing magical powers," he repeated.

~0~0~0~

Harry looked at Rin, who was sleeping soundly in his hospital bed (thanks to a sleeping potion Madam Pomfrey gave him). Professor Dumbledore just finished explaining to Harry what had happened down in the dungeons.

"Professor, what about Rin?" Harry asked out of the blue.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Voldemort said something about Rin's blue flames. He said that they were 'satanic.' That they were more evil than Rin could imagine," said Harry. "But I've seen Rin use those flames several times all year and they haven't harmed me or anyone. Heck, he and Seamus Finnigan have caused loads of explosions in Charms and neither of them were harmed. The worst thing that's ever happened to them was getting covered in soot."

"Ah, I was hoping you'd ask about Rin," said Dumbledore. "Let me start by saying that Rin had no idea he was capable of wielding such incredible power. He only found out when he saved Miss Granger from the troll on Halloween. Before that, he had always assumed that the blue flames was magic."

"Are they?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore shook his head. "I cannot say. The answer is too much for either of you to comprehend at this time. I strongly advise you to not pursue the answer to the mystery of the blue flames. What you would find would devastate you, Rin, and your friends."

Harry held back a shiver at the thought that his friend was capable of such power. Whatever those blue flames were, they must be very dangerous if even Dumbledore refused to speak about them. Harry looked over at the sleeping Rin with a small spark of fear.

Dumbledore must have seen it. "Harry, you have no reason to fear your friend. Like you said, his flames have not harmed you or your friends at all. I have been tutoring him on how to control his flames all year. It would devastate him if you started to distance yourself from him," he explained.

Harry tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Rin has always been alone back in Tokyo," Dumbledore explained. "With only his brother Yukio, his father, and the priests of the monastery where he lives, he's never had real friends until he came to Hogwarts."

"Why is that?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Surely, you've witnessed his violent outbursts from time to time," he assumed.

Harry thought back at all of the times Rin had acted violent. Most of the time, it was whenever Malfoy was giving the group a hard time. Harry recalled both times Rin broke Malfoy's nose. It was always in someone's defense.

Harry thought about what Dumbledore said. He then compared Rin's situation to his own. Before Harry came to Hogwarts, he never had a single friend in his life. Dudley made sure of that. To know that there was someone out there who had a similar background was the smallest of comforts.

~0~0~0~

The Great Hall was decorated with green and silver streamers and banners. It was no secret that Slytherin House won the House Cup. The golden plates and cups were empty on all of the tables since dinner had yet to be served. All of the teachers were sitting at the head table, but one was missing. Dumbledore hadn't arrived yet.

As soon as Harry and Rin entered the Great Hall, everyone in the room became silent and turned their heads in the boys' direction.

' _I suddenly understand why Harry doesn't like being in the spotlight.'_

Rin followed Harry to the Gryffindor table, both of them ducking their heads to avoid the stares (Rin snuck a tiny wave in Yukio's direction). Everyone there looked like someone died, which was understandable since Gryffindor House finished in last place. As soon as the two sat down, Dumbledore entered the Great Hall.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore announced cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully our heads are heads are a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts… Now, as I understand it, the House Cup needs awarding and the points stand thus: in fourth place, Gryffindor, with two hundred and sixty-two points; in third place, Hufflepuff, with three-hundred and seventy-eight; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six points and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two points."

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Rin never realized how much it pissed him off until he looked in his hand and saw that he had accidentally bent his fork in half.

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," Dumbledore said. "However, recent events must be taken into account." The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little. Rin was just as confused as everyone else in the Great Hall. What was Dumbledore up to? "Ahem, I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes… First - to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Everyone at the Gryffindor table cheered. Percy Weasley could be heard telling the other prefects, "That's my brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

Dumbledore signaled everyone to be silent. "Second - to Miss Hermione Granger, for the cool use of logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor fifty points." More cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table. They were up a hundred points. If this kept up, perhaps they wouldn't wind up in last place after all. Hermione buried her face in her hands, crying tears of joy.

"Third - to Mr. Rin Okumura..." Dumbledore continued. Rin immediately turned his attention towards the headmaster. "... for the fiery determination to overcome great obstacles, I award Gryffindor fifty points."

Cheers and rounds of applause rang throughout the Great Hall. Rin's face turned bright red as everyone gave Rin pats on the back. He had never been awarded more than a point or two (aside from the troll incident on Halloween). This had to be his proudest achievement of the year.

"Fourth - to Mr. Yukio Okumura, for quick-thinking and the foresight that saved a life, I give Ravenclaw house fifty points," Dumbledore continued. Yukio's face was as red as the Gryffindor colors as his entire house cheered for him. Ravenclaw was now in the lead. Everyone was giving Yukio pats on the back. Rin clapped in support of his brother. He supposed that as long as Slytherin lost, it would be considered a victory for the rest of the school.

The cheers died down as Dumbledore signaled them to be silent. "Fifth - to Mr. Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor sixty points," he announced.

The cheers were deafening in the Great Hall now. They were in second place now. If only they had a few more points, then Gryffindor would had won the House Cup.

Once again, Dumbledore signaled everyone to be silent. "There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Rin was pretty sure Shiro could hear everyone at the Gryffindor table cheer as the entire Great Hall erupted in screams and cheers. Gryffindor house had finally won the House Cup! Neville was buried in hugs and pats on the back.

' _Neville Longbottom, the underdog of Gryffindor house!'_

"Which means," Dumbledore called out over the applause, "we need a change in decoration." He clapped his hands, and the green and silver tapestries became red and gold. The Slytherin serpent that was hanging behind the staff table was replaced by a towering lion. Ravenclaw house was a little disappointed that they didn't win first, but they finished in second place, the closest they'd been to first in a long time.

Professor Snape was seen shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, looking like he'd sucked on a lemon. Everyone at the Slytherin table were grumbling and looking defeated. Malfoy looked in the Gryffindors' direction and Rin lowered his eyelid and stuck out his tongue in the Slytherin's direction. Malfoy scowled, giving Rin a look that promised retribution.

~0~0~0~

Shiro waited outside Platform 9 ¾ with the other Muggle parents with Muggleborn children. He looked around for any familiar faces. He saw the Grangers as well as someone he hadn't spoken to in awhile.

"Molly?" The red haired woman and her daughter turned in Shiro's direction. "I didn't recognize you back in September. I was kicking myself after I remembered who you were."

The woman squinted her eyes before widening. "Shiro? Shiro Fujimoto, is that you?" she asked. Shiro smiled and gave the woman Molly a hug. "I can't believe I didn't recognize you! How have you been? Were those boys really yours?"

"Yeah, they're mine, though technically I adopted them," Shiro answered. He then noticed the girl looking shyly at him. "And what's your name, sweetheart?"

"...Ginny," the girl answered.

"Ginny's going to Hogwarts this coming fall," Molly explained. "We're expecting her letter sometime this summer."

Shiro smiled at the girl. "Well, congratulations! I'm sure my sons will keep an eye on you," he said.

Children began coming out of the platform barrier in twos and threes. Among them were three very familiar children.

"There he is, Mum, there he is, look!" Ginny cried excitedly as she pointed at the boy with the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "Harry Potter! Look, Mum! I can see -"

"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point," Molly scolded. Rin and Yukio soon appeared from the barrier and approached Shiro.

"Busy year?" Molly asked Harry and the Okumura twins.

"Very," Harry answered. "Thanks for the fudge and jumper, Mrs. Weasley."

"Yeah, thank you," the twins added as they bowed to Molly.

Molly blushed. "Oh, it was nothing, dears."

Rin turned to Shiro. "Ron invited us over sometime this summer. Can we?" he asked with sparkles in his eyes.

Shiro smiled. "Only if his mother says so," he answered before turning in Molly's direction.

Molly smiled. "Of course, they can come over, Shiro. Just let us know when's the best time."

Shiro nodded then looked in Harry's direction. "You must be Harry Potter. Rin and Yukio have told me all about you. I'm Father Shiro Fujimoto."

Harry's face turned bright red as he shook Shiro's hand. "Nice to meet you, sir," he said shyly.

Shiro laughed. "No need to be shy, kid. Any friend of my boys' is a friend of mine!" He then looked to the twins, who were saying their goodbyes to Hermione. "You two ready to head home?"

Rin and Yukio faced Shiro. "Ready, Dad!" they called.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Why are your last names different?" he asked.

"I'm technically their guardian, so naturally our last names are different," Shiro explained, "but they've always called me 'Dad.'"

The Okumura brothers walked over to Harry and Shiro.

"Looking forward to next year already," Rin said cheerfully. "Thought I'd never say something like that."

"Must be a full moon," Yukio muttered. Rin glared at him with a tick mark on his forehead.

Shiro then waved to Harry. "Well, until we meet again," he said as he herded the twins away.

"Bye, Harry!" Rin and Yukio called out simultaneously.

"I'll see you in the fall!" Harry called back.

The priest and his two charges then walked out of King's Cross Station.

"So, how was your first year with magic?" he asked.

* * *

 **It is with great honor that I will be writing Year 2!**

 **HOWEVER! A lot of things have been happening in my life lately, so I do not know _when_ I will start. I have just recently bought a new condo, and closing day is in a few weeks. After that, I'm gonna be steadily moving into my new place.**

 **Take my word for it. I _will_ be writing Year 2 in the future. I've got so many ideas for the Chamber of Secrets, I'd be crazy _not_ to write them down.**

 **I'd like to thank you all for your reviews and your support. It's because of you that this turned out to be a success! You guys have NO idea how much this means to me and my self-esteem!**


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